择

擇

zé

扌 + 𠬤

Definitions

zé (verb) to choose; to select; to pick

zé (verb) to differentiate; to distinguish

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 扌 represents the meaning and 𠬤 represents the sound. Simplified from 擇.

About

The traditional character 擇 is a phono-semantic compound with the hand radical 扌 (shǒu) on the left, indicating a manual action, and the phonetic component 睪 (yì) on the right. Its simplified form, 择, replaces the right component with the simpler 尺 (chǐ) purely as a phonetic marker. The core meaning of picking or selecting from a group stems from the hand radical’s link to manual sorting. Over time, this physical act broadened to encompass abstract decision-making, referring to the mental choice among options, strategies, or paths.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我选择在家学习。

Wǒ xuǎnzé zài jiā xuéxí.

I choose to study at home.

他仔细选择礼物。

Tā zǐxì xuǎnzé lǐwù.

He carefully chooses a gift.

明天我要选择课程。

Míngtiān wǒ yào xuǎnzé kèchéng.

Tomorrow I will choose courses.

因为喜欢，我选择了它。

Yīnwèi xǐhuān, wǒ xuǎnzéle tā.

Because I like it, I chose it.

在选择职业时，他很谨慎。

Zài xuǎnzé zhíyè shí, tā hěn jǐnshèn.

When choosing a career, he is very cautious.

公司择优录取员工。

Gōngsī zéyōu lùqǔ yuángōng.

The company selects the best to hire employees.

如果你不选择努力，就会失败。

Rúguǒ nǐ bù xuǎnzé nǔlì, jiù huì shībài.

If you don't choose to work hard, you will fail.

在多元文化中，学会选择与尊重至关重要。

Zài duōyuán wénhuà zhōng, xuéhuì xuǎnzé yǔ zūnzhòng zhì guān zhòngyào.

In a multicultural context, learning to choose and respect is crucial.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 扌

Component: 𠬤

择