选题 (xuǎn tí) — selected topic (for a thesis, article, research paper, etc.)

Definition

选题 (xuǎntí) is a compound noun meaning 'selected topic' — the topic one has chosen for research, a thesis, or an article, not the act of choosing. 题目 (tímù) is broader, covering any topic or problem, while 课题 (kètí) is a more formal research project.

noun
selected topic (for a thesis, article, research paper, etc.)

Examples

  • 选题，。
    Zhè ge xuǎn tí hěn yǒu yì si, wǒ men kě yǐ yán jiū yí xià.
    This selected topic is very interesting; we can research it.
  • 选题。
    Tā de xuǎn tí shì guān yú rén gōng zhì néng de.
    His selected topic is about artificial intelligence.
  • 选题。
    Wǒ men xū yào wèi lùn wén zhǎo dào yí gè hǎo de xuǎn tí.
    We need to find a good selected topic for the thesis.

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xuǎnselected
题títopic

选 (“selected”) plus 题 (“topic”) gives a topic chosen for a work.

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 題; 题 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
頁頁yèhead
Sound part声符shēngfú
是
是shì題tí
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For 题, the traditional form 題 uses 是 for sound and 頁 for head, and means 'forehead'.

Open 题 →

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