打仗

• Pinyin: dǎ zhàng
• Hanzi breakdown: 打 = 扌+ 丁 (to strike); 仗 = 亻+ 丈 (battle, to rely on)

Meaning

To fight a war; to go to battle; to be at war. A colloquial expression for engaging in military conflict.

More colloquial than 战争. Can be used literally for warfare or metaphorically for intense competition, arguments, or challenging situations that require strategic thinking and resources.

Examples

1. 爷爷年轻时打过仗，身上还留着弹片的疤痕。 Grandpa fought in a war when he was young and still has scars from shrapnel on his body.
2. 现代战争跟以前打仗完全不一样，更多靠信息技术。 Modern warfare is completely different from how wars were fought before — it relies more on information technology.
3. 跟这家公司竞争就像打仗一样，得时刻保持警惕。 Competing with this company is like fighting a war — you have to stay vigilant at all times.

Usage Guide

Context: military, competition, conflict

Tone: serious

Do Say

• 他们两个国家快要打仗了。(Those two countries are about to go to war.)
• 做生意有时候就像打仗。(Doing business is sometimes like fighting a war.)

Don't Say

• 我和朋友打仗了 (For personal arguments, use 吵架 — 打仗 implies actual combat or intense conflict)

Origin & History

Compound of 打 (to strike, fight) + 仗 (battle, war). Together forming a colloquial expression for warfare.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal