Definitions

shāi (bound form) a sieve; to sieve; to sift; to filter; to eliminate through selection; to warm a pot of rice wine (over a fire or in hot water); to pour (wine or tea); (dialect) to strike (a gong)

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. ⺮ represents the meaning and represents the sound. Simplified form of .

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character '筛' derives from the traditional form '篩', which is structured with the bamboo radical indicating the material from which sieves were historically constructed and the phonetic component '師' providing its pronunciation. This composition has consistently anchored the character's meaning to the concept of sifting, reflecting the practical use of bamboo implements for separation. Over centuries, its semantic scope has extended from the physical act of sieving granular substances to metaphorical applications such as filtering information or scrutinizing candidates, thereby maintaining a core notion of refinement through selection. The simplified form '筛' preserves this logical arrangement by retaining the bamboo radical and adapting the phonetic element to '师', a graphically reduced but functionally equivalent part.

Example Sentences Hide

妈妈用米。

Māma yòng shāizi shāi mǐ.

Mom uses a sieve to sift rice.

面粉需要子。

Shāi miànfěn xūyào shāizi.

Sifting flour requires a sieve.

我们选了候选人。

Wǒmen shāixuǎn le hòuxuǎn rén.

We screened the candidates.

农民用掉沙子。

Nóngmín yòng shāizi shāi diào shāzi.

Farmers use a sieve to sift out sand.

昨天我了整整一袋米。

Zuótiān wǒ shāi le zhěngzhěng yī dài mǐ.

Yesterday I sifted a whole bag of rice.

公司通过面试选员工。

Gōngsī tōngguò miànshì shāixuǎn yuángōng.

The company selects employees through interviews.

为了做蛋糕,她仔细地面粉。

Wèile zuò dàngāo, tā zǐxì de shāi miànfěn.

In order to make a cake, she sifts the flour carefully.

经过多层选,最终只有三人入选。

Jīngguò duō céng shāixuǎn, zuìzhōng zhǐyǒu sān rén rùxuǎn.

After multiple layers of screening, only three people were finally selected.