Chinese word

筛

Pronunciation

Pinyinshāi

Meaning

  • verbsift

Example

请把面粉筛一遍。qǐng bǎ miàn fěn shāi yí biàn

Please sift the flour once.

Illustration for 筛 (sift)

More examples

招聘时，公司会先筛选简历。zhāo pìn shí gōng sī huì xiān shāi xuǎn jiǎn lì

When hiring, the company first screens resumes.

Core concept

Separate a mixed set by letting what fits through a mesh pass while holding back what does not.

Common phrases

  • 筛选shāi xuǎn

    screen

  • 筛掉shāi diào

    filter out

  • 筛查shāi chá

    screen

Similar words

筛选shāi xuǎn: Screen a group by chosen conditions, keeping what meets them and removing what does not.
选择xuǎn zé: Decide on one or more items from a group of available options.
过筛guò shāi: Sift powder to separate out large grains and lumps.
过滤guò lǜ: Pass material through a mesh or filter to remove unwanted particles or impurities.

Definition in Chinese

把固体通过筛孔，使细小颗粒下落、把较大或杂质留下的动作；在抽象语境中指按条件把对象筛除或保留。bǎ gù tǐ tōng guò shāi kǒng shǐ xì xiǎo kē lì xià luò bǎ jiào dà huò zá zhì liú xià de dòng zuò zài chōu xiàng yǔ jìng zhōng zhǐ àn tiáo jiàn bǎ duì xiàng shāi chú huò bǎo liú

Word origin

筛 (shāi, "sift") grew from the action of using a sieve to separate fine material from larger pieces, which naturally extended to choosing items that meet a condition.

Usage tips

  • Unlike English sift, which often suggests flour or another powder, Chinese uses this verb more broadly for filtering a group by a chosen standard, including people, items, or information.

Other meanings

  • sortverb
  • sievenoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 筛选shāi xuǎnselectverb
  • 筛查shāi cháscreenverb
  • 筛分shāi fēnseparate by sievingverb

Word lists with this word