挣扎
zhēngzhá · HSK 7
to struggle
🪢 挣 struggle + 扎 to prick/tie — both have the 扌 hand radical: two hands fighting to break free
挣 — hand radical 扌 + 争 zhēng (phonetic)
挣 is a semantic-phonetic compound: the hand radical 扌 signals an action done with the hands, while 争 ('to contend, struggle') supplies the sound and reinforces the sense of effort. It originally meant to pull or struggle free, later extending to 'earn' (zhèng), as in earning money through hard work.
扎 — hand radical 扌 + 乚
扎 is a phono-semantic compound. The hand radical 扌 gives the meaning, since the original sense involves piercing, tying, or pulling with the hand, while 乚 hints at the sound. Over time it broadened to cover 'prick,' 'tie up,' and 'plunge into.'