竞相

• Pinyin: jìng xiāng
• Hanzi breakdown: 竞 = two 兄 vying — competition; 相 = 木 (tree) + 目 (eye) — looking at each other, mutual

Meaning

Competitively; vying with each other; rushing to be first.

An adverb describing a situation where multiple parties simultaneously rush to do the same thing, each trying to outdo the others. Always used before a verb: 竞相模仿 (vying to imitate), 竞相出价 (bidding against each other). Carries a sense of collective eagerness or frenzied competition.

Examples

1. 新产品一上市，各大品牌便竞相推出类似款式，市场竞争异常激烈。 The moment the new product launched, major brands rushed to release similar styles, making market competition unusually fierce.
2. 消息一出，各路媒体竞相报道，把这件事炒得沸沸扬扬。 As soon as the news broke, various media outlets competed to report it, stirring up a storm of coverage.
3. 那位歌手走红之后，各大演出公司竞相抛出橄榄枝，争相与她签约。 After the singer became famous, major performance companies vied with each other to extend an olive branch and sign her.

Usage Guide

Context: business, media, competition, written language

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 各地政府竞相出台优惠政策以吸引投资。(Local governments are competing with each other to introduce preferential policies to attract investment.)
• 学者们竞相发表研究成果，力图抢占学术先机。(Scholars are vying to publish research results, each trying to gain an academic head start.)

Don't Say

• 我们竞相吃饭。(竞相 requires a meaningful competitive act — not trivial everyday actions like eating)

Origin & History

竞 (to compete) + 相 (mutually, each other). Together: doing something in mutual competition. A formal written adverb, mainly used in news and literary writing.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal