How to Write 遴 (lín) — Meaning “To select; to choose.”

Imagine you are walking (辶) through a dark forest at night, and you use a firefly (粦 represents light) to carefully select your path. The bright light helps you choose where to step, linking "selecting" with the walking radical. This picture of a walking person with a glowing light makes the meaning easy to recall.

Write the left radical 辶 with three strokes: first the dot on top, then the curved stroke, and finally the bottom rightward stroke. The right part 粦 has 12 strokes, starting with the top left strokes (like 米 without the bottom), then the bottom fish-like tail. A common mistake is making the 辶 too narrow or forgetting the dot on top of the right component.

遴 (lín) means "to select carefully," while 遘 (gòu) means "to meet" or "to encounter," and 遛 (liù) means "to walk slowly" or "to stroll." Visually, 遴 has 粦 on the right, 遘 has 冓 (gòu) meaning "to meet," and 遛 has 留 (liú) meaning "to stay." Their meanings are unrelated, so context helps distinguish them.

The character 遴 appears mainly in formal or written Chinese, especially in the word 遴选 (lín xuǎn) meaning "to select" or "to choose" (e.g., for a job or committee). It is also used in 遴派 (lín pài, "to select and appoint") and 遴选委员会 (selection committee). This character is not common in daily speech but is found in official documents, academic contexts, or news about candidate selection.

Common words containing 遴 include: 遴选 (lín xuǎn) — To select; to choose.; 遴派 (lín pài) — To select and appoint.; 遴选委员会 (lín xuǎn wěi yuán huì) — Selection committee..