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力争上游

lì zhēng shàng yóudictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
to strive for mastery (idiom) / aiming for the best result / to have high ambitions
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-8c520e923c83c2c9. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

力爭上游 力争上游 [li4 zheng1 shang4 you2] /to strive for mastery (idiom); aiming for the best result/to have high ambitions/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 力爭上游

  • 力
    lì

    power / force / strength / ability / strenuously

    Lì

    surname Li

  • 争
    zhēng

    to strive for / to vie for / to argue or debate / deficient or lacking (dialect) / how or what (literary)

  • 上
    shǎng

    used in 上聲|上声[shǎng shēng]

    shàng

    (bound form) up / upper / above / previous / first (of multiple parts) / to climb / to get onto / to go up / to attend (class or university) / (directional complement) up / (noun suffix) on / above

  • 游
    yóu

    to swim / to walk / to tour / to roam / to travel

    Yóu

    surname You

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.