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HSK 3

比赛

competition; match; to compete

nounneutral5 episodes
比
bǐ3rd tone
赛
sài4th tone

HSK level

1
2
3
4
5
6
Pinyin
bǐsài
Part of speech
noun
Level
HSK 3
Strokes
18
Register
neutral
Measure word
场 / 次
In episodes
5

Stroke order for 比赛

比赛 is written with 18 strokes (比: 4, 赛: 14). The animation replays automatically.

What does 比赛 mean?

比赛 (bǐsài) means 'competition / match / contest' — any organized event where people or teams compete for a result.

It covers sports (足球比赛 soccer match), academic contests (作文比赛 essay contest), talent shows (唱歌比赛 singing contest), and even informal challenges (我们比赛 'let's have a contest'). 比赛 also works as a verb meaning 'to compete,' though Chinese often pairs it with a noun: 参加比赛 (take part in a competition).

Two contrasts with English: first, 比赛 is broader than 'match' or 'game' alone — it covers any structured competition with judges or scoring; second, when used as a verb, 比赛 by itself is fine (我们来比赛 'let's compete'), without naming the activity. The default measure word is 场 for an individual match, 次 for one round.

Character by character

比bǐto compare; than
+
赛sàito compete; contest
=
比赛

Memory hook: 比 (compare) + 赛 (compete) — comparing performance through competing.

Hear 比赛 in real episodes

比赛 appears in 5 Fluentide podcast episodes at natural native speed — each with the full Chinese script, pinyin, and line-by-line English translation.

He Took Drugs, Drank Over 20 a Day, Never Trained Once — and Came Last the First Time He Ever Competed in Bodybuilding比赛 spoken at natural speedbeginnerHe Took Drugs, Drank Over 20 a Day, Never Trained at All — He Placed Last at His First Bodybuilding Show比赛 spoken at natural speedeasyNigeria's 28-Year-Old Oba Femi Defeated WWE's "Beast" Brock Lesnar Inside Hell in a Cell比赛 spoken at natural speednormalWWE's Hell in a Cell Sees Nigeria's 28-Year-Old Oba Femi Defeat "The Beast" Brock Lesnar比赛 spoken at natural speedmediumNigerian Newcomer Oba Femi Defeated WWE's "Beast" Brock Lesnar in a Cage Match比赛 spoken at natural speedeasy
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Example sentences

明天有一场足球比赛。

Míngtiān yǒu yì chǎng zúqiú bǐsài.

There's a soccer match tomorrow.

neutral

你想参加这个比赛吗？

Nǐ xiǎng cānjiā zhè ge bǐsài ma?

Do you want to take part in this competition?

spoken

我们班赢了比赛，大家都很高兴。

Wǒmen bān yíng le bǐsài, dàjiā dōu hěn gāoxìng.

Our class won the match — everyone was really happy.

spoken

比赛下午三点开始。

Bǐsài xiàwǔ sān diǎn kāishǐ.

The match starts at three in the afternoon.

neutral

Common phrases with 比赛

参加比赛cānjiā bǐsàito take part in a competition
足球比赛zúqiú bǐsàisoccer match
比赛开始bǐsài kāishǐthe match begins
赢了比赛yíng le bǐsàiwon the match
一场比赛yì chǎng bǐsàia match (one event)

Synonyms

竞赛jìngsài

竞赛 is more formal and is mostly used for academic or large-scale official contests — 数学竞赛 (math contest), 知识竞赛 (knowledge contest). 比赛 covers everything from casual to professional.

赛sài

Single-character 赛 is used in compounds and headlines — 决赛 (final), 半决赛 (semifinal), 大赛 (major contest). On its own as a noun it is rare in modern spoken Chinese.

Don't confuse 比赛 with

游戏yóuxì

游戏 means 'game / play' — something for fun without necessarily having winners and losers (video games, kids' games). 比赛 always involves competition and a result.

比较bǐjiào

比较 means 'relatively' or 'to compare' — same first character but different function. 比赛 is a contest event; 比较 is the act of evaluating or the adverb 'rather.'

FAQ

Related words from the same episodes

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Acquire it by listening

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