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爭權奪利

简争权夺利 · 繁爭權奪利

Mandarin · pinyin zhēng quán duó lì

scramble for power and profit (idiom); power struggle

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Characters in this entry

爭: Look up this written character
權: Look up this written character
奪: Look up this written character
利: lì · gains, advantage, profit, merit
争: zhēng · dispute, fight, contend, strive
权: quán · power, right, authority
夺: duó · take by force, rob, snatch

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Mandarin tones

1–2–2–4 · zheng1 quan2 duo2 li4

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

爭權奪利 · find source passages ↗ · 争权夺利 · find source passages ↗

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) to scramble for power and wealth; to struggle for power

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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