奋斗

• Pinyin: fèn dòu
• Hanzi breakdown: 奋 = 大 (big) + 田 (field) — great effort exerted; 斗 = simplified from 鬥, meaning to fight or struggle

Meaning

To strive; to struggle; to fight hard for something. Describes putting great effort toward achieving a goal.

Carries a positive, aspirational connotation in modern Chinese. Often used in the context of personal goals, career ambitions, or collective progress. Common in motivational speech and political discourse. Can be used as both a verb and a noun.

Examples

1. 他为了自己的梦想一直在奋斗。 He has been striving for his dream all along.
2. 年轻人应该有奋斗的精神。 Young people should have a spirit of hard work.
3. 我们一起奋斗了三年，终于成功了。 We struggled together for three years and finally succeeded.

Usage Guide

Context: motivational, personal growth

Tone: encouraging

Do Say

• 为了更好的生活，我们要继续奋斗。(We must keep striving for a better life.)
• 她奋斗了十年，终于当上了医生。(She struggled for ten years and finally became a doctor.)

Don't Say

• 我奋斗做完了作业 (Don't use 奋斗 for routine small tasks — use 努力 instead; 奋斗 implies a long-term, significant struggle)

Origin & History

奋 originally meant a bird taking flight with great effort. Combined with 斗 (fight/struggle), it conveys exerting maximum effort toward a goal.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal