好强 (hǎo qiáng) — competitive (as a personality trait)

Definition

好强 (hàoqiáng) describes a competitive, strong-willed personality — someone who wants to win or be best. It often carries a slightly negative tone, suggesting stubbornness or difficulty accepting defeat.

adjective
competitive (as a personality trait)

Examples

  • 好强，。
    Tā zhè ge rén hěn hǎo qiáng, shén me dōu xiǎng yíng.
    He is very competitive; he wants to win at everything.
  • 好强，。
    Tā tài hǎo qiáng le, shū le jiù bù gāo xìng.
    She is too competitive; she gets unhappy when she loses.
  • 好强。
    Wǒ bù xǐ huan gēn hǎo qiáng de rén yì qǐ dǎ qiú.
    I don't like playing ball with competitive people.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

好hǎofond of
强qiángstrong

Fondness for strength in 好 and 强 makes the trait competitive.

Characters in this word

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

好 joins 女 (woman) and 子 (child), understood as a woman with a child, linked to goodness or affection.

Open 好 →

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 強; 强 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 強 pairs an insect component with a sound component; this explains 強, not the simplified 强.

Open 强 →

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