(xuǎn shǒu) - contestant, competitor, player in Mandarin
xuǎnshǒuTraditional: 選手
Translation
contestant, competitor, player
Word origin
A compound of 选 (xuǎn, to select) and 手 (shǒu, hand), where 手 works as a suffix meaning a person skilled at something.
- Origin
- compound
- Root
- 选 (xuǎn, to select) + 手 (shǒu, hand, agentive suffix)
Stroke order
选
手
Examples
。
This competitor is very young.
。
Twenty competitors are taking part in the contest.
。
That competitor took first place.
鼓。
The audience clapped for their favourite competitor.
。
All the players on our team are ready.
选手 (xuǎn shǒu) is the person taking part in a competition: an athlete on the track, a singer on a talent show, a player at a chess board. Sports commentary and game shows run on this word.
The 手 on the end is not a hand. It is the agent suffix that also gives 歌手 for singer, 水手 for sailor and 高手 for an expert. Read it as -er or -ist and the whole family falls into place.
Do not read 选手 as someone who chooses. The 选 refers to having been selected for the contest, not to selecting anything. A competitor who is picking a racket is 选 as a verb; the competitor themselves is a 选手.
Where this fits
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选手: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "选手" (contestant, competitor, player): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 51.