争锋 (zhēng fēng) — to contend for supremacy; to strive for mastery

Definition

A formal/written verb meaning to compete head-to-head for the top position — 'lock horns' or 'vie for supremacy.' Collocates with 相对 (争锋相对) to describe a direct, high-stakes confrontation.

verb
to contend for supremacyto strive for mastery

Examples

  • 争锋。
    Liǎng jiā gōng sī wèi le shì chǎng fèn é zhēng fēng jī liè.
    The two companies fiercely contend for market share.
  • ，。
    Tā men zhè cì yào zhēng yí gè gāo xià zhī fēng, shuí yě bú ràng shuí.
    This time they want to have a real showdown, neither willing to yield.
  • 争锋，。
    Shuāng fāng zhēng fēng xiāng duì, qì fen shí fēn jǐn zhāng.
    The two sides were locked in a head-to-head confrontation, and the atmosphere was very tense.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

争zhēngcontend
锋fēngedge

争 means contend, and 锋 means edge: contending for the edge gives the sense of mastery.

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 鋒; 锋 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
金金jīn
Sound part声符shēngfú
夆
夆páng鋒fēng
Same sound today

The traditional form 鋒 pairs 金 (metal) with a sound part 夆; the simplified 锋 is a shorthand.

Open 锋 →

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