挑战 (tiǎozhàn)

挑战 refers to a difficult task or situation that tests one's abilities and requires effort to overcome, as well as the act of challenging someone or something. It carries both positive (opportunity to grow) and neutral connotations.

Meanings

[noun] challenge; a test of ability; a demanding situation
[verb] to challenge; to test; to take on (a difficulty or opponent)

Example Sentences

人工智能的快速发展对传统就业市场提出了前所未有的挑战。 Réngōng zhìnéng de kuàisù fāzhǎn duì chuántǒng jiùyè shìchǎng tíchūle qiánsuǒ wèiyǒu de tiǎozhàn. The rapid development of artificial intelligence has posed unprecedented challenges to the traditional employment market.

她决定挑战自我，报名参加铁人三项比赛，尽管她从未接受过专业训练。 Tā juédìng tiǎozhàn zìwǒ, bàomíng cānjiā tiěrén sānxiàng bǐsài, jǐnguǎn tā cóng wèi jiēshòuguò zhuānyè xùnliàn. She decided to challenge herself and signed up for a triathlon, even though she had never received professional training.

面对困难和挑战，保持积极的心态是取得成功的关键。 Miànduì kùnnán hé tiǎozhàn, bǎochí jījí de xīntài shì qǔdé chénggōng de guānjiàn. When facing difficulties and challenges, maintaining a positive attitude is key to achieving success.

这位年轻科学家勇于挑战权威，提出了与主流理论截然不同的新假说。 Zhè wèi niánqīng kēxuéjiā yǒngyú tiǎozhàn quánwēi, tíchūle yǔ zhǔliú lǐlùn jiérán bùtóng de xīn jiǎshuō. This young scientist bravely challenged established authority and proposed a new hypothesis entirely different from mainstream theory.

气候变化是当今全人类共同面临的最严峻的挑战之一。 Qìhòu biànhuà shì dāngjīn quán rénlèi gòngtóng miànlín de zuì yánjùn de tiǎozhàn zhī yī. Climate change is one of the most serious challenges facing all of humanity today.

每一个挑战背后都隐藏着机遇，关键在于我们如何以积极的眼光去看待它。 Měi yī gè tiǎozhàn bèihòu dōu yǐncáng zhe jīyù, guānjiàn zàiyú wǒmen rúhé yǐ jījí de yǎnguāng qù kàndài tā. Behind every challenge lies a hidden opportunity; what matters is how we view it with a positive perspective.

Collocations

Collocation	Meaning
面临挑战	to face a challenge
接受挑战	to accept a challenge
挑战自我	to challenge oneself
严峻挑战	serious/severe challenge
提出挑战	to pose a challenge
应对挑战	to respond to/address a challenge

Usage Notes

挑战 is widely used in both formal and informal Chinese. As a noun, it means a challenging situation (面临挑战 — to face a challenge). As a verb, it means to actively take on or challenge someone or something (挑战权威 — to challenge authority; 挑战极限 — to push the limits).

The phrase 挑战自我 (to challenge oneself) is very popular in motivational language and self-development contexts in Chinese culture. 挑战 generally has a positive or neutral tone, implying growth through difficulty, unlike 威胁 (threat), which is more negative.

Memory Hook

挑 (to pick up/to stir up) + 战 (battle/fight) — 挑战 is to stir up a battle, to pick up the challenge and fight.