不争 (bù zhēng) — to not strive for, to not contend for

Definition

Literary/Daoist term meaning 'not contend, not strive' — letting go of competition and going along with the natural order.

verb

to not strive forto not contend for

不争，。
Tā bù zhēng míng lì, zhǐ qiú ān xīn.
He does not strive for fame or profit, only seeks peace of mind.
不争，。
Lǎo zǐ de sī xiǎng chàng dǎo bù zhēng, shùn yìng zì rán.
Laozi's philosophy advocates not contending and going along with nature.
，不争，。
Zài zhè ge wèn tí shàng, tā xuǎn zé bù zhēng, tuì le yí bù.
On this issue, he chose not to contend and took a step back.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

「不」 (not) and 「争」 (strive) mean not to contend, hence incontestable.

Characters in this word

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

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

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.