Dictionary › 挣

挣

zhèng

HSK 5 Character Traditional 掙

What 挣 means

1. to struggle to get free
2. to strive to acquire
3. to make (money)

Other readings

挣 is 多音字 — it is read more than one way, and the reading changes the meaning.

• zhēngused in {挣扎|zhēng zhá}

Example sentences

• 他每个月挣多少？
  Tā měi gè yuè zhēng duōshao?
  How much does he earn per month?
• 挣钱是他的宗教。
  Zhèngqián shì tā de zōngjiào.
  Making money is his religion.
• 挣钱容易攒钱难。
  Zhēng qián róngyì cuán qián nán.
  It is easier to get money than to keep it.
• 我一天挣一百欧元。
  Wǒ yī tiān zhèng yī bǎi ōuyuán.
  I make 100 euros a day.
• 我挣扎着挤出地铁。
  Wǒ zhēngzhá zhe jǐchū dìtiě.
  I struggled to get out of the subway.
• 她每天挣30美元。
  She earns 30 dollars per day.

Words starting with 挣

• 挣钱zhèng qiánto make money
• 挣扎zhēng zháto struggle
• 挣脱zhèng tuōto throw off; to struggle free of; Taiwan pr. zhēng tuō
• 挣得zhèng déto earn (income); to make (money)
• 挣揣zhèng chuàisee 挣扎

Words containing 挣

• 垂死挣扎chuí sǐ zhēng zhádeathbed struggle; final struggle (idiom)
• 撒呓挣sā yì zheng(colloquial) to talk in one's sleep; to sleepwalk

Characters built on 争

These share the phonetic component 争 (zhēng), which is why their readings rhyme. Learning them as a family is far cheaper than learning them one at a time.

• 睁zhēngto open (one's eyes)
• 筝zhēngsee 古筝
• 狰zhēngused in 狰狞
• 铮zhēngclang of metals; small gong
• 峥zhēngused in 峥嵘
• 诤zhèngto admonish; to warn sb of their errors; to criticize frankly

Characters that look like 挣

Easy to confuse on sight. Compare them side by side once and the pair stops costing you.

• 持chíto hold; to grasp; to support
• 神shéngod; deity; supernatural; magical; mysterious; spirit; mind; energy
• 待dàito wait; to treat; to deal with
• 振zhènto shake; to flap; to vibrate
• 拷kǎoto beat; to flog; to examine under torture
• 狰zhēngused in 狰狞

Sounds the same

Read zhèng, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 正straight; upright; proper
• 证to admonish; variant of 证
• 政political; politics; government
• 症disease; illness
• 郑used in 郑重
• 怔(dialect) to stare blankly; to be in a daze; Taiwan pr. lèng
• 铮(dialect; bound form) shiny; gleaming; Taiwan pr. zhēng
• 诤to admonish; to warn sb of their errors; to criticize frankly