精选 (jīng xuǎn) — to handpick; to select carefully

Definition

精选 (jīngxuǎn) means to select with care, emphasizing quality over quantity — 'handpick', not just 'choose'. It pairs with a source set (精选作品, 精选文章) to highlight that items are the best of many. Compare 选择 (xuǎnzé), which is a neutral 'select/choose'.

verb
to handpickto select carefully

Examples

  • 精选。
    Zhè xiē chá yè dōu shì jīng guò jīng xuǎn de.
    These tea leaves are all carefully selected.
  • 精选。
    Gōng sī cóng yì bǎi duō míng yìng pìn zhě zhōng jīng xuǎn le sān wèi.
    The company selected three from over a hundred applicants.
  • 精选。
    Zhè ge zhǎn lǎn zhǎn chū de zuò pǐn dōu shì jīng xuǎn chū lái de.
    The works exhibited in this show were all handpicked.

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.

精jīngcareful
选xuǎnchoose

精 adds carefulness to 选, giving the sense of choosing with care.

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
米米mǐrice
Sound part声符shēngfú
青
青qīng精jīng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

精 pairs 米 (rice) with 青, which gives the sound; the character originally meant polished rice.

Open 精 →

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 →

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