争分夺秒 (zhēng fēn duó miǎo): lit. fight minutes

After the earthquake, rescue workers raced against time to search for survivors in the rubble.

In the last month before the college entrance exam, students raced against time to review, even memorizing vocabulary while eating.

In order to repair the dam before the rainstorm arrived, the workers raced against time, going several days and nights without sleep.

The doctors raced against time to perform surgery on the patient, and finally saved him from the brink of death.

With only ten seconds left in the game, the players raced against time to attack, hoping to score at the last moment.