to fight / to struggle / to condemn / to censure / to contend / to put together / coming together
斗
=
⺀
+
十
:
Mnemonic symbol: a 斗牛士 is a matador, who will represent 斗.
斗
=
⺀
+
十
:
In the outhouse, the matador and Don Quixote started to fight. Now they want to settle it once and for all in the bathroom. The matador chose a cross as a weapon, while Don Quixote chose a blossom—to cushion the crosses' blows.
to strive for / to vie for / to argue or debate / deficient or lacking (dialect) / how or what (literary)
争
=
⺈
+
肀
:
Mnemonic symbol: The grim reaper, as 争 is often used in words involving war (...战争). In front of the engine ((e)ng1), the grim reaper (争) marks his next victims in passing. With a crayon (肀) he draws big "X"s on the crane (⺈) and James II of England (zh).