择

Tap the pinyin to hear it

to select; to choose; to pick over; to pick out; to differentiate; to eliminate; also pr. [zhai2]

Sound it out + =

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

Components 扌 ? unknown part

select · Heisig RSH #2602

fingers + scarecrow

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
口不择言	kǒu bù zé yán	to speak incoherently; to ramble; to talk irresponsibly
口无择言	kǒu wú zé yán	to say not a word that is not appropriate (idiom); wrongly used for 口不擇言\|口不择言[kou3 bu4 ze2…
择日不如撞日	zé rì bù rú zhuàng rì	lit. carefully setting an auspicious date does not beat seizing an opportunity (idiom); fi…
择不开	zhái bu kāi	impossible to separate; impossible to disentangle; cannot take time out
不加选择	bù jiā xuǎn zé	indiscriminate
择日子	zhái rì zi	to pick an auspicious day
自然选择	zì rán xuǎn zé	natural selection
自由选择权	zì yóu xuǎn zé quán	free agency
特异选择	tè yì xuǎn zé	special choice; special reserve
别无选择	bié wú xuǎn zé	to have no other choice
不择手段	bù zé shǒu duàn	by fair means or foul; by hook or by crook; unscrupulously
选择性	xuǎn zé xìng	selective; selectiveness; selectivity
择善而从	zé shàn ér cóng	to choose the right course and follow it (idiom)
物竞天择	wù jìng tiān zé	natural selection
天择	tiān zé	natural selection
择机	zé jī	at the right time; when appropriate
择日	zé rì	to fix a date (for an event); to select an auspicious date
择定	zé dìng	to select
张择端	Zhāng Zé duān	Zhang Zeduan (1085-1145), Song dynasty painter
择食	zé shí	to be picky (food)

These characters use 择 as their sound component — compare how they read.

Character	Pinyin	Meaning
择 sound part	zé	to select, to choose
箨	tuò	bamboo sheath, bamboo shoots