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竞技 (jìng jì) — (verb) to compete in a contest of skill, especially in sports

Definition

竞技 (jìngjì) focuses on the athletic or skill-based contest itself — competing on the field, court, or arena. 竞争 is broader 'competition' (business, rivalry); 竞赛 and 参赛 are more about entering a formal contest.

verb
to compete in a contest of skillespecially in sports

Examples

  • 竞技。
    Yùn dòng yuán zài bǐ sài zhōng jī liè jìng jì.
    Athletes compete fiercely in the competition.
  • 竞技，。
    Zhè liǎng zhī duì wu míng tiān jiāng jìng jì, zhēng duó guàn jūn.
    These two teams will compete tomorrow, vying for the championship.
  • 竞技，。
    Tā men wèi shèng lì ér jìng jì, fēi cháng nǔ lì.
    They compete for victory, working very hard.

Origin

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.

竞jìngcompete
技jìskill

“竞” contributes the idea of competing, while “技” contributes the skill or technique, together giving a competition of skill.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 競; 竞 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 競 shows 誩 (argument) above two 儿 (men), as two individuals debating vigorously; the simplified 竞 is a later abbreviation.

Open 竞 →

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
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
支
支zhī技jì
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

技 pairs 扌 (hand) with 支, which gives the sound. The hand part fits the idea of skill or ability done with the hands.

Open 技 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Sports & Athletics

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