铨 (quán) · (classical) to weigh; to assess

Meanings

1 (classical) to weigh; to assess
2 (classical) to select and appoint officials

Characters

铨

quán

to weigh; to select officials

Examples

HSK 7-9

他铨其才能，授以官职。

Tā quán qí cáinéng, shòu yǐ guānzhí.

He weighed each candidate's merits before appointing them to office.

Tips

history

No standalone use in modern Chinese; it appears only in old administrative vocabulary such as 铨选 (selecting officials) and 铨衡 (to weigh and judge). Originally a steelyard balance, it is the metal radical 钅 plus phonetic 全, the same sound seen in 诠 and 栓.

register

Literary and historical only; found in texts on the old civil-service system, not in speech.