海
选

About

The word 海选 is formed by combining the character 海 (hǎi), meaning "sea" or "ocean", with the character 选 (xuǎn), meaning "to choose" or "to select". This creates a vivid metaphorical concept: the process is likened to casting an enormously wide net into a vast sea of candidates or options, implying an initial, open, and large-scale preliminary selection from a massive, unrestricted pool, from which only a few are chosen to proceed. The imagery conveys both the scale (as broad as the ocean) and the non-selective, first-round nature of the elimination process.

Example Sentences Hide

我们学校举行了海选。

Wǒmen xuéxiào jǔxíngle hǎixuǎn.

Our school held an open audition.

这次海选有很多人参加。

Zhè cì hǎixuǎn yǒu hěnduō rén cānjiā.

Many people participated in this open audition.

海选是选拔人才的第一步。

Hǎixuǎn shì xuǎnbá réncái de dì yī bù.

Mass selection is the first step in selecting talent.

通过海选，组委会挑选出了五十名选手。

Tōngguò hǎixuǎn, zǔwěihuì tiāoxuǎn chūle wǔshí míng xuǎnshǒu.

Through the mass selection, the organizing committee selected fifty contestants.

尽管海选过程非常严格，但参与者们都充满了热情。

Jǐnguǎn hǎixuǎn guòchéng fēicháng yángé, dàn cānyù zhě men dōu chōngmǎnle rèqíng.

Although the mass selection process is very strict, all participants are full of enthusiasm.

Word Definition - 海选

hǎi xuǎn (in elections for village committees in the PRC since the 1990s) unrestricted nomination, a type of election where 1. everyone in the community is eligible to nominate somebody 2. voting is done by writing the name of one's nominee on the ballot, and 3. one's nominee can be anyone in the community (Nominees who receive the highest number of votes may be thereby elected or, more often, presented as the candidates in a further round of voting.); (in other contexts) selection of the best contender in a process open to all comers; (in the entertainment industry) open audition

Individual Character Details

海 hǎi, hǎi
选 xuǎn