How to Write 铨 (quán) — Meaning “To weigh; to select or evaluate (officials)”

Imagine a metal scale (钅) that is completely (全) balanced when measuring someone's talent. The "complete" part reminds you that evaluation requires looking at the whole person. This connects the character to choosing officials wisely.

Write 钅 (5 strokes) first: a short left-falling stroke, then two horizontal strokes, a vertical stroke, and a final upward hook. Then write 全 (6 strokes) — the 人 on top should be wide enough to cover 王 below. A common mistake is making the 王 too small or misplacing the left-right balance; keep 钅 slightly narrower than 全.

The key difference is the right side. 铨 has 全 (complete), 钙 has 丐 (beggar), and 钚 has 不 (not). 钙 means calcium, a chemical element, and 钚 means plutonium. In contrast, 铨 is about evaluation and selection, not a metal element. Visually, 全 has a clear "person" component on top, while 丐 and 不 are distinct.

铨 is mostly used in formal or historical contexts about government personnel selection, like 铨选 (official appointment) or 铨叙 (ranking civil servants). It is not part of HSK vocabulary and appears rarely in daily conversation. Culturally, it reflects the traditional Chinese bureaucratic system of carefully weighing a candidate's merits before appointment.

Common words containing 铨 include: 铨选 (quán xuǎn) — To select for appointment; 铨叙 (quán xù) — Civil service ranking and grading; 铨才 (quán cái) — To evaluate talent.