点 點 diǎn point / dot / drop / speck / o'clock / point (in space or time) / to draw a dot / to check on a list / to choose / to order (food in a restaurant) / to touch briefly / to hint / to light / to ignite / to pour a liquid drop by drop / (old) one fifth of a two-hour watch 更[geng1] / dot stroke in Chinese characters / classifier for items syn 大 dà big / large / great / older (than another person) / eldest (as in 大姐[da4jie3]) / greatly / freely / fully / (dialect) father / (dialect) uncle (father's brother) syn 取 qǔ to take / to get / to choose / to fetch syn 挑选 挑選 tiāo xuǎn to choose / to select syn 选中 選中 xuǎn zhòng to select / to choose / to decide on syn 抉择 抉擇 jué zé to choose (literary) syn 透气 透氣 tòu qì to flow freely (of air) / to ventilate / to breathe (of fabric etc) / to take a breath of fresh air / to divulge syn 自如 zì rú unobstructed / unconstrained / smoothly / with ease / freely syn 选项 選項 xuǎn xiàng option / alternative / choice / to choose a project syn 看中 kàn zhòng to have a preference for / to fancy / to choose after consideration / to settle on syn 选定 選定 xuǎn dìng to select / to choose / to settle on syn 物色 wù sè to look for / to seek out / to choose syn 畅所欲言 暢所欲言 chàng suǒ yù yán lit. fluently saying all one wants (idiom) / to preach freely on one's favorite topic / to hold forth to one's heart's content syn 推举 推舉 tuī jǔ to nominate as a worthy candidate / to recommend / to elect / to choose / (weightlifting) to (clean and) press syn 评为 評為 píng wéi to elect as / to choose as / to consider as 推选 推選 tuī xuǎn to elect / to choose syn 选用 選用 xuǎn yòng to choose for some purpose / to select and use syn 选取 選取 xuǎn qǔ to choose syn 畅谈 暢談 chàng tán to talk freely / to discuss without inhibition syn 自选 自選 zì xuǎn to choose by oneself / free to choose / optional / self-service 放羊 fàng yáng to tend a flock of sheep / to let sheep out to pasture / fig. to throw off the reins / to leave sb alone / acting freely and irresponsibly 半斤八两 半斤八兩 bàn jīn bā liǎng not much to choose between the two / tweedledum and tweedledee syn 挑拣 挑揀 tiāo jiǎn to pick and choose / to select syn 节选 節選 jié xuǎn excerpt / selection (from a book) / to select / to choose an extract 遴选 遴選 lín xuǎn to pick / to choose / to select syn 畅想 暢想 chàng xiǎng to think freely / unfettered imagination 择偶 擇偶 zé ǒu to choose a spouse 单挑 單挑 dān tiāo to pick / to choose / to fight a duel 认养 認養 rèn yǎng to sponsor / to adopt (pledge to give sb or sth one's special attention or support) / to adopt (choose to raise a child or animal as one's own) 选点 選點 xuǎn diǎn to choose an appropriate location 纵论 縱論 zòng lùn to talk freely syn 鱼与熊掌 魚與熊掌 yú yǔ xióng zhǎng lit. the fish and the bear's paw, you can't have both at the same time (idiom, from Mencius) / fig. you must choose one or the other / you can't always get everything you want / you can't have your cake and eat it 敞口 chǎng kǒu open-mouthed (jar etc) / (of speech) freely / exposure (finance) 选 選 xuǎn to choose / to pick / to select / to elect syn 举 舉 jǔ to lift / to hold up / to cite / to enumerate / to act / to raise / to choose / to elect / act / move / deed syn 挑 tiāo to carry on a shoulder pole / to choose / to pick / to nitpick syn 简 簡 jiǎn simple / uncomplicated / letter / to choose / to select / bamboo strips used for writing (old) syn 拣 揀 jiǎn to choose / to pick / to sort out / to pick up syn 评 評 píng to discuss / to comment / to criticize / to judge / to choose (by public appraisal) syn 择 擇 zé to select / to choose / to pick over / to pick out / to differentiate / to eliminate / also pr. [zhai2] syn 择 擇 zhái to choose / to pick over / to pick out / to take out / to eliminate syn 满头大汗 滿頭大汗 mǎn tóu dà hàn brow beaded with sweat / perspiring freely syn 诹 諏 zōu to choose / to consult syn 纵谈 縱談 zòng tán to talk freely syn 卜居 bǔ jū to choose a home syn 大鸣大放 大鳴大放 dà míng dà fàng (idiom) to freely air one's views / to be heard far and wide / to attract a lot of attention 四大 sì dà the four elements: earth, water, fire, and wind (Buddhism) / the four freedoms: speaking out freely, airing views fully, holding great debates, and writing big-character posters, 大鳴大放|大鸣大放[da4 ming2 da4 fang4], 大辯論|大辩论[da4 bian4 lun4], 大字報|大字报[da4 zi4 bao4] (PRC) 嬉笑怒骂 嬉笑怒罵 xī xiào nù mà lit. laughs, jeers, anger and invective (idiom) / fig. all kinds of emotions / to mock and scold / (of writing) freely roving / following the author's fancy 展翅高飞 展翅高飛 zhǎn chì gāo fēi to spread one's wings and soar (idiom) / to develop one's abilities freely 如臂使指 rú bì shǐ zhǐ as the arm moves the finger (idiom) / freely and effortlessly / to have perfect command of syn 不分伯仲 bù fēn bó zhòng lit. unable to distinguish eldest brother from second brother (idiom) / they are all equally excellent / nothing to choose between them 舍生取义 捨生取義 shě shēng qǔ yì to give up life for righteousness (idiom, from Mencius) / to choose honor over life / would rather sacrifice one's life than one's principles syn 拣佛烧香 揀佛燒香 jiǎn fó shāo xiāng to choose which Buddha to burn incense to (idiom) / fig. to curry favor from the right person 违利赴名 違利赴名 wéi lì fù míng to renounce profit and seek fame (idiom) / to abandon greed for reputation / to choose fame over fortune 卜宅 bǔ zhái to choose a capital by divination / to choose a home / to choose one's burial place by divination 矮子里拔将军 矮子裡拔將軍 ǎi zi li bá jiāng jūn lit. choose a general from among the dwarfs / fig. choose the best person available (out of a mediocre bunch) 信笔 信筆 xìn bǐ to write freely / to express oneself as one pleases 联产到户 聯產到戶 lián chǎn dào hù household responsibility system, introduced in the early 1980s, under which each rural household could freely decide what to produce and how to sell, as long as it fulfilled its quota of products to the state 行动不便 行動不便 xíng dòng bù biàn unable to move freely / difficult to get about 谈古论今 談古論今 tán gǔ lùn jīn to talk of the past and discuss the present (idiom) / to chat freely / to discuss everything syn 趴趴走 pā pā zǒu (Tw) to wander about / to roam around freely (from Taiwanese 拋拋走, Tai-lo pr. [pha-pha-tsáu]) 大鸣大放 大鳴大放 dà míng - dà fàng (idiom) to freely air one's views / to be heard far and wide / to attract a lot of attention 采择 採擇 cǎi zé to choose and use / to adopt (a decision) syn 嫌肥挑瘦 xián féi tiāo shòu to choose sth over another to suit one's own convenience 抉搞 jué gǎo to choose / to expose and censure 挑肥嫌瘦 tiāo féi xián shòu to choose sth over another to suit one's own convenience 采景 採景 cǎi jǐng to choose a location / to frame a shot (for filming, photography etc) 择善固执 擇善固執 zé shàn gù zhí to choose what is good and hold fast to it (idiom) 择善而从 擇善而從 zé shàn ér cóng to choose the right course and follow it (idiom) 枚卜 méi bǔ to choose officials by divination (archaic) / to practice divination without a definite question 涓吉 juān jí to choose an auspicious day 白拣 白揀 bái jiǎn a cheap choice / to choose sth that costs nothing 臣一主二 chén yī zhǔ èr One has the right to choose the ruler one serves. (ancient proverb) 调干 調幹 diào gàn to reassign a cadre / to choose a worker to be promoted to cadre syn 遣词 遣詞 qiǎn cí to choose one's words / wording 飞蛾投火 飛蛾投火 fēi é tóu huǒ lit. like a moth flying into the fire (idiom) / fig. to choose a path to certain destruction syn 鱼与熊掌不可兼得 魚與熊掌不可兼得 yú yǔ xióng zhǎng bù kě jiān dé lit. the fish and the bear's paw, you can't have both at the same time (idiom, from Mencius) / fig. you must choose one or the other / you can't always get everything you want / you can't have your cake and eat it 拣饮择食 揀飲擇食 jiǎn yǐn zé shí to choose one's food carefully / to be picky 柿子挑软的捏 柿子挑軟的捏 shì zi tiāo ruǎn de niē lit. it's the soft persimmons that people choose to squeeze (idiom) / fig. it's the weak (i.e. 軟柿子|软柿子[ruan3 shi4 zi5]) who get picked on / bullies pick soft targets 拣择 揀擇 jiǎn zé (literary) to select / to choose 弃取 棄取 qì qǔ (literary) to choose between rejecting and accepting 矬子里拔将军 矬子裡拔將軍 cuó zi lǐ bá jiāng jūn lit. to choose a general among the dwarves (idiom) / fig. to pick the best out of a bad group 单挑 單挑 dān tiǎo to pick / to choose / to fight a duel / Taiwan pr. [dan1 tiao1] 所用非人 suǒ yòng fēi rén to choose the wrong person for the job 