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预选 (yù xuǎn) — to pre-select, to conduct a preliminary selection; to hold a primary election

Definition

预选 (yùxuǎn) means 'to pre-select' — a two-step process: first narrow down candidates or competitors (公司预选了几位候选人), then move to the formal stage (面试, 大选).

verb
to pre-select, to conduct a preliminary selectionto hold a primary election

Examples

  • 预选，。
    Gōng sī xiān yù xuǎn le jǐ wèi hòu xuǎn rén, rán hòu zài jìn xíng miàn shì.
    The company first pre-selected a few candidates, then conducted interviews.
  • ，预选。
    Jīn nián zǒng tǒng dà xuǎn qián, gè dǎng pài dōu yào yù xuǎn zì jǐ de hòu xuǎn rén.
    Before this year's presidential election, each party must hold primaries for their own candidates.
  • 预选，。
    Yùn dòng yuán xū yào xiān yù xuǎn, rán hòu cái néng cān jiā zhèng shì bǐ sài.
    Athletes need to pre-select first, then they can participate in the official competition.

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.

预yùbeforehand
选xuǎnchoose

预 means beforehand and 选 means choose, giving the sense of choosing beforehand.

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 預; 预 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
頁頁yè
Sound part声符shēngfú
予
予yǔ預yù
Same sound today

The traditional form 預 combines 予 for the sound and 頁 for the meaning; the simplified 预 is a later shorthand.

Open 预 →

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 →
Appears in
Government & Politics

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