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筛查 (shāi chá) — to screen (for disease, health conditions, etc.)

Definition

筛查 means to screen for disease or health conditions (cancer, vision, etc.). 筛选 is broader — it means to filter or sift through candidates, data, or materials, not specifically for medical checks.

verb
to screen (for disease, health conditions, etc.)

Examples

  • 筛查。
    Měi nián zuò yí cì shēn tǐ shāi chá hěn yǒu bì yào.
    It is necessary to have a body screening once a year.
  • 筛查。
    Xué xiào wèi xué shēng miǎn fèi shāi chá shì lì.
    The school provides free vision screening for students.
  • 筛查。
    Yī shēng jiàn yì gāo fēng xiǎn rén qún dìng qī shāi chá ái zhèng.
    Doctors recommend high-risk groups to be regularly screened for cancer.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

筛shāisift
查cháexamine

“筛” means to sift or screen, and “查” means to examine; together they describe screening and checking.

Characters in this word

Most 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 篩; 筛 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
竹竹zhú
Sound part声符shēngfú
師
師shī篩shāi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 篩 pairs 竹 (bamboo) with 師, which gives the sound; the simplified 筛 is a shorthand.

Open 筛 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mùwood
Sound part声符shēngfú
且
且qiě查chá
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

查 pairs 木 (wood) with 且, which shows the sound. It originally meant a hawthorn tree or a wooden raft.

Open 查 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Medicine & Treatment

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.