拣 (jiǎn) — to pick, to choose (from a group, often with care or by sorting); to pick up (something from the ground)
Definition
拣 (jiǎn) means 'to pick out / sort through' with a focus on choosing carefully from a group. Versus 捡 ('pick up from the ground'), which is just the physical act of retrieving; 拣 implies selection.
verb
to pickto choose (from a group, often with care or by sorting)to pick up (something from the ground)
Examples
- 拣。Nǐ jiǎn jǐ jiàn gān jìng de yī fu dài zǒu.Pick a few clean clothes to take with you.
- 拣。Tā bǎ làn le de cài yè jiǎn chū lái diū diào.She picked out the rotten leaves and threw them away.
- ，拣。Dì shàng yǒu zhāng chāo piào, tā wān yāo jiǎn le qǐ lái.There was a banknote on the ground, he bent down and picked it up.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
This origin belongs to the traditional form 揀; 拣 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
柬
柬jiǎn揀jiǎn
Same sound today
The traditional form 揀 pairs 扌 (hands) with 柬, the part that matches its pronunciation; this describes 揀 rather than 拣.
Appears in
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