竭力 (jié lì) vs 拼命 (pīn mìng) — maximum effort

Subj. + 竭力 (jiélì) / 拼命 (pīnmìng) + Verb (maximum effort)
Subj. + 强行 (qiángxíng) / 大肆 (dàsì) + Verb (imposition / large scale)

HSK 7–93.0

Pattern diagram

Who / what竭力拼命Action
Who / what强行大肆Action

Rule structure

竭力 (jié lì) and 拼命 (pīn mìng) are close in meaning "to exert maximum effort", but 拼命 (pīn mìng) is more colloquial and often implies risking oneself. 强行 (qiáng háng) indicates acting against resistance, while 大肆 (dà sì) indicates a broad, usually disapproved-of scale.

Examples

他拼命工作,终于完成了任务。

Tā pīnmìng gōngzuò, zhōngyú wánchéng le rènwu.

He worked desperately hard and finally finished the task.

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Words from this rule

Frequently asked questions

How do you say “maximum effort” in Chinese with 竭力 vs 拼命?

Use the structure: Subj. + 竭力 (jiélì) / 拼命 (pīnmìng) + Verb (maximum effort) Subj. + 强行 (qiángxíng) / 大肆 (dàsì) + Verb (imposition / large scale). For example: 他拼命工作,终于完成了任务。 — “He worked desperately hard and finally finished the task”.

What is an example sentence with this grammar rule?

他拼命工作,终于完成了任务。 — “He worked desperately hard and finally finished the task”.

Which HSK level includes this grammar rule?

This grammar rule is part of HSK 3.0 Levels 7–9.

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More HSK 3.0 Levels 7–9 grammar rules