择 (zé) — to select, to choose (formal/literary)
Definition
择 is the formal/literary 'to select / to choose' — nearly always seen in compounds like 选择 or 择定 rather than used alone. The everyday verb is 选.
verb
to selectto choose (formal/literary)
Easily confused
- 铎duólook-alikea type of ancient Chinese bell used for issuing proclamations or in times of war
- 则zésound-alike(conjunction) but; then (indicating contrast or consequence)
- 译yìlook-aliketo translate
- 则zésound-alike(classifier) for news items, diary entries, stories, and other written records
- 泽zélook-alike(bound form) marsh, swamp; body of water
- 责zésound-alikeduty, responsibility (bound form, as in 责任)
Examples
- 择。Zhè ge fāng àn xū yào wǒ men zǐ xì zé yōu.This plan requires us to carefully select the best.
- 择。Gōng sī míng tiān jiāng zé dìng xīn de jīng lǐ.The company will select and appoint a new manager tomorrow.
- 择。Jié hūn qián tā men shèn zhòng dì zé dìng le jí rì.Before the wedding, they carefully selected an auspicious date.
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 擇; 择 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
睪
睪yì擇zé
Same sound today
The traditional form 擇 has 手 (hand) for the meaning and 睪 for the sound; the simplified 择 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not historical.
Appears in
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