be imminent
拮 centers on a pressing, urgent closeness: something is imminent, about to happen, or bearing down. The meaning is narrow and abstract, focused on a sense of impending pressure.
拮 combines 扌 (hand) with 吉, which likely contributes the sound. The exact historical development of the meaning 'be imminent' is uncertain, but the hand component may suggest pressing or grasping tightly, which fits the sense of urgent pressure.
The hand 扌 beside 吉 (good luck) suggests clutching at good fortune just as it is about to arrive. The kanji captures that tense moment when something is imminent.
For カツ, imagine a cat (カツ) pressing its paw urgently against your hand, demanding attention right now. The cat's insistent pressure mirrors the imminent feeling of 拮.
rivalry (between two equally strong sides); struggle for supremacy; competing (with); vying (with); contending (with); being an equal match (for)
struggle for supremacy between evenly-matched armies (teams)
antagonism
antagonist (muscle)
antagonist (drug)
diligence; assiduity; pinching; hard toil