The word 挣扎 is formed through the vivid combination of two characters that each depict a distinct aspect of forceful, constrained motion. The first character, 挣 (zhēng), with its "hand" radical, evokes the image of struggling with force to break free. The second, 扎 (zhá), often associated with piercing or being pinned, suggests being bound or staked down. Together, they visually and conceptually merge into a single, intensified portrait of a desperate fight against confinement, where the action of straining (挣) is perpetually countered by a state of being ensnared (扎), perfectly capturing the essence of a futile or painful struggle.