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分秒必争 (fēn miǎo bì zhēng) — every minute counts; to race against time; to seize every moment

Definition

A chengyu meaning every second counts — a race against time when the deadline is tight and the stakes are high. Stricter than 抓紧, which simply means to grip or hurry up.

idiom
every minute countsto race against timeto seize every moment

Examples

  • ，分秒必争，。
    Gāo kǎo lín jìn, dà jiā dōu fēn miǎo bì zhēng, bù gǎn làng fèi yì diǎn shí jiān.
    With the college entrance exam approaching, everyone is racing against time and dares not waste a single moment.
  • ，分秒必争。
    Zhè ge xiàng mù zhī shèng sān tiān le, wǒ men bì xū fēn miǎo bì zhēng cái néng àn shí wán chéng.
    There are only three days left for this project; we must seize every moment to finish it on time.
  • ，，分秒必争。
    Zài zhàn chǎng shàng, shí jiān jiù shì shēng mìng, měi míng shì bīng dōu fēn miǎo bì zhēng.
    On the battlefield, time is life, and every soldier races against time.

Origin

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

分 pairs 八 (to separate) with 刀 (knife), showing something cut apart with a knife.

Open 分 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
禾禾hécereal; grain
Sound part声符shēngfú
少
少shǎo秒miǎo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The form 秒 pairs 禾, a cereal or grain plant, with 少 giving the sound.

Open 秒 →

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

The shape of 必 comes from the handle on the right side of a weapon, with two extra strokes added to its sides.

Open 必 →

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 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set PhrasesTime (Abstract)

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