What is the difference between zhèng and zhēng in 挣?

Question

I just found that 挣 has two variants of pronunciation - zhèng and zhēng. However, both seem to express "struggle" in English.
Some words express different meanings depending on the pronunciation - e.g. my recent question on 只.
Well, it might be slightly different, since according to MBDG dictionary:

挣 zhēng: see 掙扎｜挣扎
挣 zhèng: to struggle to get free / to strive to acquire / to make (money)

So zhēng is equivalent only to 掙扎 or 挣扎, but these two words also mean "struggle". So I don't understand how you can decide whether the 挣 you see in a sentence is zhèng or zhēng.
So if you see 挣 in a sentence, how can you discern which pronunciation is correct? Also, does it make any difference regarding the two words (e.g. on usage)?

dan · Answer

I think you already got the point.

挣 zhēng: see 掙扎｜挣扎
  挣 zhèng: to struggle to get free / to strive to acquire / to make (money)

挣 will only be pronounced as 'zhēng' in 挣扎 and 'zhèng' for the rest.

Pedroski · Answer

I think you might ask yourself, 'What is the difference between struggle and strive?' In the definition of strive you will find struggle. Both imply applying effort to achieve a goal. What differences do you see? Mainly in usage.

The bits Chinese leaves out always confound me! So if they say 挣， they probably mean 挣钱， although it might be 挣脱， depending on context.

This is all from zdic.net

挣：
1. 用力支撑或摆脱：～脱。～开。 (struggle to keep away, get away)
2. 出力取得：～钱。～饭吃。 (strive to get)

挣扎： 竭力支撑或摆脱 （do one's best to support or get away)

I think 挣 for the most part is connected with earning money. You can find many example sentences.

zheng4 is found in:

挣脱： 用力擺脫束縛，以獲得自由。 (use strength to break out and obtain freedom)

What is the difference between zhèng and zhēng in 挣?

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