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选项 (xuǎn xiàng) — option, choice, alternative

Definition

选项 is a noun meaning one selectable item among several — typically used on menus, exams, or when listing alternatives. 选择 is the verb 'to choose'; 选项 names the thing you choose.

noun
optionchoicealternative
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 选项。
    Qǐng zài cài dān lǐ xuǎn zé nǐ zuì xiǎng yào de xuǎn xiàng.
    Please select the option you want most from the menu.
  • 选项。
    Zhè dào tí de zhèng què dá àn shì dì èr gè xuǎn xiàng.
    The correct answer for this question is the second option.
  • 选项：。
    Zhè cì lǚ xíng yǒu liǎng gè xuǎn xiàng: fēi jī hé gāo tiě.
    This trip has two options: plane and high-speed rail.

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.

选xuǎnchoose
项xiàngitem

选 means choosing and 项 means an item, so 选项 is an item one can choose.

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 項; 项 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
頁頁yèhead
Sound part声符shēngfú
工
工gōng項xiàng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 項 combines 工 as a sound part with 頁, meaning head; the simplified 项 is a later shorthand.

Open 项 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Abstract Concepts

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