择菜

擇菜

zháicài

verb

Meanings

1 to pick the edible parts of vegetables
2 to trim vegetables (remove bad leaves, roots, etc.)

Characters

to pick out; to sort (colloquial)

Examples

HSK 1

奶奶坐在门口择菜。

Nǎinai zuò zài ménkǒu zháicài.

Grandma sits at the doorway trimming vegetables.

HSK 4

择菜、洗菜、切菜，一步都不能少。

Zháicài, xǐcài, qiēcài, yī bù dōu bùnéng shǎo.

Trim, wash, chop, not a single step can be skipped.

Tips

usage

择 has two readings: literary 'zé' (to choose, as in 选择) and colloquial 'zhái' when used for sorting food. The reading 择菜 is zhái cài. It's the prep step before washing: picking off wilted leaves, peeling tough stems, snapping off roots.

Stroke Order

择 zé

菜 cài