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gain,obtain

paddycarol

Senior Member
Chinese, China
Hi, everybody

Peace can not be gained / obtained by begging but fighting.

here, which word is more proper, gain or obtain? Or do they both make sense?
Hi Paddy. I much prefer gained. Obtained just sounds too , not abstract enough.
Obtained refers to an actual object usually, gained can be more general and like ewie said, abstract (like she gained weight). Gained here would be better.
I think "to gain" requires effort, and "to obtain" doesn't.

I've checked dictionary.com, and yeah, gain requires effort whereas obtain doesn't.

So I guess gain is more suitable for that sentence.
Hi, everybody

Peace can not be gained / obtained by begging but fighting.

here, which word is more proper, gain or obtain? Or do they both make sense?


Hi paddycarol

Personally, I wouldn't use either. Instead I would say:

Peace can not be achieved by begging, but fighting.
A million thanks to everyone of you~
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