How common it is
竞争 appears often in everyday Chinese, so it is worth practicing early and reviewing often.
Pronunciation focus
Say jìngzhēng slowly first, then repeat it in a short phrase. Listen for the tone shape.
Usage note
竞争是指人们为了获得某种优势或资源而进行的较量。在日常生活中，我们可能会遇到各种形式的竞争，比如在学校里参加比赛或者和朋友比学习进度。
jìngzhēng shì zhèng rén wéi le huò dé suǒ zhǒng shì yōu shì huò zīyuán ér jìn xíng de jiǎoliào. Zài rìyān shēnghuo lǐ, wǒmen kě néng xiàng yòng zhè zhǒng xíng shì de jìngzhēng, bǐ 如学校里参加比赛或者和朋友比学习进度。
Competition refers to the struggle people engage in to gain an advantage or resources. In daily life, we may encounter various forms of competition, such as participating in school competitions or comparing our study progress with friends.
Context note
竞争常见于各种场合，如商业、体育、教育等。在家庭中，父母可能会鼓励孩子参加各种比赛以提高他们的竞争力；在学校里，同学之间也会有学习上的竞争。
jìngzhēng cháng jiàn yú zhèngguò, rú shāngyè, tǐtǔ, jiàoyù děng. Zài jiātíng zhōng, fùmǔ kěnéng huì gǎnlüè háizi cānjiā zhèzhǒng bǐsài yǐ tígāo tāmen de jìngzhēnglì; zài xuéxiào lǐ, tóngxué jiąi jiāyě yě huì yǒu xuéxí shàng de jìngzhēng.
Competition is common in various settings such as business, sports, and education. In the family, parents might encourage children to participate in different competitions to boost their competitiveness; at school, classmates also compete academically.
5 examples
学校里有很多竞争。
xué xiào lǐ yǒu hěn duō jìng zhēng。
There is a lot of competition in school.
他很擅长竞争。
tā hěn shàn cháng jìng zhēng。
He is very good at competing.
比赛就是一种竞争。
bǐ sài jiù shì yì zhǒng jìng zhēng。
A competition is just one form of competition.
我们需要学会如何在竞争中取胜。
wǒ men xū yào xué huì rú hé zài jìng zhēng zhōng qǔ shèng。
We need to learn how to win in competition.
竞争可以激励我们进步。
jìng zhēng kě yǐ jī lì wǒ men jìn bù。
Competition can motivate us to improve.
5 mini stories
小明和小红在比赛中获得了第一名，他们非常高兴。他们在学校里有很多竞争，但每次比赛都能互相鼓励。
xiǎo míng hé xiǎo hóng zài bǐ sài zhōng huò dé le dì yī míng， tā men fēi cháng gāo xìng。 tā men zài xué xiào lǐ yǒu hěn duō jìng zhēng， dàn měi cì bǐ sài dōu néng hù xiāng gǔ lì。
Xiaoming and Xiaohong won first place in the competition, they were very happy. They have a lot of competition at school, but they always encourage each other during every competition.
小华参加了一个演讲比赛，他很紧张。但他记得要保持冷静并努力竞争。最终他获得了第二名。
xiǎo huá cān jiā le yí gè yǎn jiǎng bǐ sài， tā hěn jǐn zhāng。 dàn tā jì de yào bǎo chí lěng jìng bìng nǔ lì jìng zhēng。 zuì zhōng tā huò dé le dì èr míng。
Xiaohua participated in a speech contest. He was very nervous. But he remembered to stay calm and compete hard. In the end, he got second place.
小丽和她的朋友在学习上竞争，但她们互相帮助。
xiǎo lì hé tā de péng yǒu zài xué xí shàng jìng zhēng， dàn tā men hù xiāng bāng zhù。
Xiaoli and her friends compete academically, but they help each other.
爸爸鼓励儿子参加各种比赛以提高竞争力。
bà ba gǔ lì ér zi cān jiā gè zhǒng bǐ sài yǐ tí gāo jìng zhēng lì。
Dad encouraged his son to participate in various competitions to boost his competitiveness.
妈妈说，竞争可以让我们变得更好。
mā ma shuō， jìng zhēng kě yǐ ràng wǒ men biàn de gèng hǎo。
Mom said that competition can make us better.