角逐
jiǎozhú · HSK 7
contend
🏆 角 (contend/horn-lock) + 逐 (chase, pursue) = fight to chase down the prize
角 carries the sense of locking horns or contending; 逐 means to chase or pursue. Together 角逐 is the back-and-forth tussle of rivals chasing the same win, as in election or market contention.
角 — pictograph of a horn
角 is a pictograph of an animal's horn, with early oracle-bone forms clearly showing the curved, ridged shape of a horn. From 'horn' it extended to mean corner, angle, and by metaphor a role or part (as in a stage role). The reading jiǎo covers most of these senses.