争抢 (zhēng qiāng) — to scramble for, to vie for (something)

Definition

verb
to scramble forto vie for (something)

Examples

  • 争抢，。
    Hái zi men zài zhēng qiāng wán jù, shuí dōu bù kěn ràng.
    The children are scrambling for the toys; no one is willing to give in.
  • 争抢。
    Tóu zī zhě fēn fēn zhēng qiāng zhè jiā gōng sī de gǔ fèn.
    Investors are vying for shares of this company.
  • ，争抢。
    Zú qiú chǎng shàng, shuāng fāng qiú yuán jī liè dì zhēng qiāng qiú quán.
    On the football field, players from both sides fiercely scramble for possession of the ball.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

争zhēngstrive
抢qiǎngsnatch

争 means to strive and 抢 means to snatch, so together they describe competing to grab something.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 爭; 争 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 爭 shows two hands on a plowshare; the simplified 争 is a later abbreviation, so this picture belongs to 爭, not 争.

Open 争 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 搶; 抢 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
扌Written in full as手shǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
倉
倉cāng搶qiǎng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 搶 pairs 扌 (hand) with 倉, which gives the sound; the simplified 抢 is a shorthand, so its right side is not the historical component.

Open 抢 →

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