Meaning
比赛 refers to any competitive event where individuals or teams compete against each other, such as sports matches, academic contests, or skill competitions. As a noun it means 'competition' or 'match,' and as a verb it means 'to compete.' It's one of the most common words for describing competitive activities in Chinese.
Usage
比赛 is used in both formal and informal contexts for all types of competitions. It commonly appears with specific sports or activities (篮球比赛 'basketball game,' 唱歌比赛 'singing competition'). As a verb, it typically takes the pattern 'A 和 B 比赛' (A competes with B) or 'A 跟 B 比赛.' The word has a neutral register and is appropriate for all audiences.
Examples
- 01明天我们学校有一场篮球比赛。.Tomorrow our school has a basketball game.
- 02他参加了很多次游泳比赛，经验丰富。, .He has participated in many swimming competitions and is very experienced.
Characters
Measure words
- 场一场比赛
- 次三次比赛
Common collocations
- 参加比赛to participate in a competition
- 赢得比赛to win the match
- 足球比赛soccer match
- 比赛结果competition results
Antonyms
Origin
Both characters relate to competition: 比 originally depicted two people standing side by side for comparison, while 赛 contains the shell radical 贝, historically associated with valuable items used as prizes in contests.