奋斗
fèndòu · HSK 4
strive
💪 奋 = effort/rouse + 斗 = fight; together: strive hard
奋 carries the sense of rousing oneself or exerting effort, and 斗 means to fight or struggle. Combined, 奋斗 names the sustained hard work of striving toward a goal.
斗 — pictograph of a ladle/dipper with handle
斗 originally depicted a long-handled ladle or dipper used to scoop grain or wine, and by extension became a unit of dry measure (about 10 liters). The same graph was later borrowed for the unrelated meaning 'to fight,' which in simplified Chinese merged with the traditional character 鬥. Context tells the two senses apart.