How is 争 pronounced?

争 is pronounced “zhēng” in pinyin.

What HSK level is 争?

争 belongs to HSK 3 in the HSK 3.0 vocabulary.

How do you write 争?

Follow the stroke-order animation above; 争 is written using standard stroke order. Practice it in the writing trainer.

HSK 3verbverb / noun

争

Traditional: 爭

zhēng

争 (zhēng) means “to strive for; to vie for; to argue or debate; deficient or lacking (dialect); how or what (literary)”. It is an HSK 3 Chinese character (traditional 爭) in the HSK 3.0 vocabulary.

Stroke order

Practice writingUnlock HSK 3 required

Example

孩子们在争着回答问题。

Háizimen zài zhēng zhe huídá wèntí.

The children are competing to answer questions.

Words containing 争

竞争jìng zhēngto compete; competition 斗争dòu zhēnga struggle; fight; battle 力争lì zhēngto work hard for; to do all one can; to contend strongly 战争zhàn zhēngwar; conflict 争论zhēng lùnto argue; to debate; to contend; argument; contention; controversy; debate 争取zhēng qǔto fight for; to strive for; to win over 争端zhēng duāndispute; controversy; conflict 争夺zhēng duóto fight over; to contest; to vie over 争气zhēng qìto work hard for sth; to resolve on improvement; determined not to fall short 争先恐后zhēng xiān kǒng hòu(idiom) to compete to be first; to scramble to get ahead; to rush forward for fear of falling behind 争议zhēng yìcontroversy; dispute; to dispute

More HSK 3 vocabulary

HSK 3 →

阿姨ā yímaternal aunt; step-mother; childcare worker; nursemaid; woman of similar age to one's parents (term of address used by child)啊āinterjection of surprise; Ah!; Oh!矮ǎilow; short (in length)爱好ài hàoto like; to be fond of; to take pleasure in; to be keen on; interest; hobby 安静ān jìngquiet; peaceful; calm 把bǎto hold; to grasp; to hold a baby in position to help it urinate or defecate; handlebar; classifier: handful, bundle, bunch; classifier for things with handles; (used to put the object before the verb: 把 + {noun} + {verb})班bānsurname Ban 搬bānto move (i.e. relocate oneself); to move (sth relatively heavy or bulky); to shift; to copy indiscriminately 办法bàn fǎmeans; method; way (of doing sth)办公室bàn gōng shìoffice; business premises; bureau 半bànhalf; semi-; incomplete; (after a number) and a half 帮忙bāng mángto help; to lend a hand; to do a favor; to do a good turn

Frequently asked questions

What does 争 mean?: 争 (zhēng) means “to strive for; to vie for; to argue or debate; deficient or lacking (dialect); how or what (literary)”. It is an HSK 3 word.
How is 争 pronounced?: 争 is pronounced “zhēng” in pinyin.
What HSK level is 争?: 争 belongs to HSK 3 in the HSK 3.0 vocabulary.
How do you write 争?: Follow the stroke-order animation above; 争 is written using standard stroke order. Practice it in the writing trainer.

Updated: 2026-07-18