TongTong
Sign in

当选 (dāng xuǎn) — to be elected; to be selected

Definition

当选 means 'to be elected' — a passive outcome after a vote. Compare 选举 (the act of holding an election) and 提名 (to nominate, before any vote).

verb
to be electedto be selected

Examples

  • 当选。
    Tā dāng xuǎn wèi shì zhǎng.
    He was elected mayor.
  • ，当选。
    Xuǎn jǔ jié guǒ gōng bù hòu, tā què dìng dāng xuǎn le.
    After the election results were announced, she was confirmed elected.
  • 当选，。
    dāng xuǎn Hòu, tā chéng nuò huì tí gāo duì dà zhòng de fú wù zhì liàng.
    After being elected, he pledged to improve service quality for the public.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

当dāngto be/to take on
选xuǎnchoose/elect

当选 pairs 当, meaning to be or take on, with 选, meaning to choose or elect: one is chosen for a role.

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 當; 当 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
田田tiánfield
Sound part声符shēngfú
尚
尚shàng當dāng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 當 combines 田 (field) with 尚; the evidence describes fields facing each other.

Open 当 →

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 3.0 Level 6HSK 2.0 Level 6Government & Politics

Browse more HSK 6 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.