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候选 (hòu xuǎn) — to be a candidate (for a position or office); to run (for office)

Definition

verb
to be a candidate (for a position or office)to run (for office)

Examples

  • 候选。
    Tā jīn nián hòu xuǎn zǒng tǒng.
    He is a candidate for president this year.
  • 候选。
    Tā jué dìng hòu xuǎn shì zhǎng de wèi zhì.
    She decided to run for mayor.
  • 候选，。
    Hěn duō rén hòu xuǎn zhè ge zhí wèi, jìng zhēng hěn jī liè.
    Many people are candidates for this position; the competition is fierce.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

候hòuwait for
选xuǎnselection

候 means 'wait for' and 选 means 'selection'; together they describe waiting to be chosen.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rén
Sound part声符shēngfú
矦
矦hóu候hòu
Same sound today

候 combines 亻, relating to people, with 矦, which gives the sound.

Open 候 →

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 選; 选 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
止止zhǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
巽
巽xùn選xuǎn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 選 combines 止 with 巽, which gives the sound xùn; its sense of choosing is explained as rejecting or sending someone back. Simplified 选 is a shorthand.

Open 选 →
Appears in
HSK 2.0 Level 6Social Roles & Status

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