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候选人 (hòu xuǎn rén) — candidate

Definition

A person nominated or running for a position in an election or formal selection. Broader than 考生 (limited to exams) and more concrete than the abstract 人选 ('candidate' as a choice of person).

noun
candidate
Measure word · 名

Examples

  • 候选人。
    Gōng sī zhèng zài zhāo pìn xīn de hòu xuǎn rén.
    The company is recruiting new candidates.
  • 候选人。
    Sān wèi hòu xuǎn rén dōu fā biǎo le yǎn jiǎng.
    All three candidates gave speeches.
  • 候选人。
    Xuǎn mín men zhèng zài liǎo jiě měi wèi hòu xuǎn rén de zhèng cè.
    Voters are learning about each candidate's policies.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

候选waiting for selection
候hòuwait for选xuǎnselection
动宾Verb + object
人rénperson

候选 means waiting for selection, and 人 is the person.

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 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 人 shows a side view of a standing person, with an arm and a leg.

Open 人 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Government & PoliticsSocial Roles & Status5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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