verb HSK 4
zhàng
to fight a war · to go to war · to wage war

Meaning

打仗 literally means 'to strike battle' and refers to engaging in warfare or armed combat between nations, groups, or armies. It's a common verb used in both historical and contemporary contexts to describe military conflicts.

Usage

This is a standard, neutral term used in news, history books, and everyday conversation when discussing war. It can refer to both past and present conflicts. Often used with time expressions or location words to specify when or where fighting occurred.

Examples

  1. 01
    这两个国家打了三年仗。
    Zhè liǎng guójiā le sān nián zhàng.
    These two countries fought a war for three years.
  2. 02
    我爷爷年轻时打过仗。
    yéye niánqīng shí guò zhàng.
    My grandfather fought in a war when he was young.

Characters

Measure words

  • chǎng打了一场仗

Common collocations

  • 打了一仗
    le zhàng
    fought a battle
  • 打胜仗
    shèng zhàng
    to win a battle
  • 打败仗
    bài zhàng
    to lose a battle
  • 跟...打仗
    gēn ... zhàng
    to fight a war with/against...

Antonyms

Origin

The character 仗 originally referred to weapons or military equipment, later extending to mean 'battle' or 'warfare.' Combined with 打 (to strike), the compound literally means 'to strike/engage in battle.'

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