争吵

• Pinyin: zhēng chǎo
• Hanzi breakdown: 争 = 爫 + 彐 (two hands pulling at something — contention); 吵 = 口 + 少 (mouth making noise)

Meaning

To quarrel; to argue heatedly with raised voices. A verbal conflict marked by anger and agitation.

Stronger and more emotional than 争论 (debate) or 吵架 (bicker). Implies sustained, heated exchanges rather than brief disagreements. Common in domestic, workplace, and neighbourhood disputes.

Examples

1. 夫妻俩因为孩子的教育问题发生了激烈的争吵。 The couple had a fierce argument over their child’s education.
2. 邻里之间的噪音纠纷最终演变成一场不愉快的争吵。 A noise dispute between neighbors eventually turned into an unpleasant argument.
3. 会议室里两位经理为了项目预算分配争吵不休。 In the meeting room, two managers argued nonstop over how to allocate the project budget.

Usage Guide

Context: domestic, workplace, interpersonal

Tone: negative

Do Say

• 他们为了遗产分配问题争吵了整整一个下午。(They quarrelled for an entire afternoon over the inheritance distribution.)
• 请不要在公共场合争吵，影响他人休息。(Please do not quarrel in public — it disturbs others.)

Don't Say

• 我们争吵一下这个问题 — 争吵 implies anger; for calm discussion, use 讨论 (discuss) or 商量 (talk over)

Origin & History

争 (contend/compete) + 吵 (clamour/quarrel)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal