选择 (xuǎn zé) — to choose, to select | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

选择 (xuǎnzé) is the everyday verb 'to choose/select' and works as both a verb and a noun meaning 'choice'. It covers both simple picks and more deliberate decisions, broader than 选拔 (to select candidates through screening).

verb

to chooseto select

Examples

选择。
Wǒ xuǎn zé le hóng sè de nà jiàn yī fu.
I chose the red one of those clothes.
选择？
Nǐ xuǎn zé nǎ ge yán sè?
Which color do you choose?
选择。
Tā xuǎn zé qù běi jīng xué xí zhōng wén.
He chose to go to Beijing to study Chinese.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

选xuǎnchoose

择zéselect

选 “choose” and 择 “select” are parallel actions, giving the general sense of making a choice.

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 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 →

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 擇; 择 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

手手shǒuhand

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.

Open 择 →

Appears in