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3. Choose Life
This single Chinese character, old Korean Hanja, and Japanese Kanji means: to choose; to pick; to select; to elect; selection; choice; choosing; picking; election.
In Japanese, it can also be the male given name Hitoshi.
In the Buddhist context, it means to choose, or a myriad.
選擇生活 can mean to choose life instead of death (or suicide) or to choose to live life to the fullest.
I think of it as the key phrase used by Renton (Ewan McGregor) in the movie Trainspotting. While Chinese people will not think of Trainspotting when they see this phrase, for me, it will always be what comes near the end of this colorful rant:
Choose life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a fucking big television. Choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players, and electrical tin can openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol, and dental insurance. Choose fixed-interest mortgage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends. Choose leisure wear and matching luggage. Choose a three-piece suite on-hire purchase in a range of fucking fabrics. Choose DIY and wondering who the fuck you are on a Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing, spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing fucking junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, pissing your last in a miserable home, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, fucked-up brats you have spawned to replace yourself. Choose your future. Choose life.
選ばれし者 is a Japanese title that means “The chosen one” but can also refer to “The select few” or “the chosen ones.”
The last character clarifies that the “one” refers to a person or persons (male or female).
This can also be written 撰ばれし者 or 択ばれし者 with the same pronunciation and meaning. The one shown above is the most common way to write it.
Note: Because this selection contains some special Japanese Hiragana characters, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.
失敗並非一種選擇 is probably the best way to say, “Failure is not an option,” in Chinese.
Just don't forget that some ancient Chinese proverbs suggest that failure is a learning opportunity that leads to success or innovation. So don't plan to fail but failure is only a waste if nothing is learned from the failure.
Below are some entries from our dictionary that may match your 選 search...
Characters If shown, 2nd row is Simp. Chinese |
Pronunciation Romanization |
Simple Dictionary Definition |
選 选 see styles |
xuǎn xuan3 hsüan sen せん |
More info & calligraphy: Choice / Choose / Select(n,n-suf) selection; choice; choosing; picking; election; (male given name) Hitoshi To choose; a myriad. |
精選 精选 see styles |
jīng xuǎn jing1 xuan3 ching hsüan seisen / sesen せいせん |
More info & calligraphy: Chosen / Handpicked(n,vs,vt,adj-no) careful selection |
選ばれし者 see styles |
erabareshimono えらばれしもの |
More info & calligraphy: The Chosen One |
三選 see styles |
sansen さんせん |
third-term election |
中選 中选 see styles |
zhòng xuǎn zhong4 xuan3 chung hsüan |
to be chosen; to be selected |
予選 see styles |
yosen よせん |
(noun/participle) preliminary contest; qualifying round; trial; heat; primary |
互選 see styles |
gosen ごせん |
(noun, transitive verb) election by mutual vote; election from within a committee (party, etc.); internal vote |
人選 人选 see styles |
rén xuǎn ren2 xuan3 jen hsüan jinsen じんせん |
choice of person; candidate (n,vs,vt,vi) personnel selection |
任選 任选 see styles |
rèn xuǎn ren4 xuan3 jen hsüan |
to choose freely; to pick whichever one fancies |
保選 see styles |
yasukazu やすかず |
(given name) Yasukazu |
候選 候选 see styles |
hòu xuǎn hou4 xuan3 hou hsüan |
candidate (attributive) |
備選 备选 see styles |
bèi xuǎn bei4 xuan3 pei hsüan |
alternative (plan, arrangement, strategy etc) |
優選 优选 see styles |
yōu xuǎn you1 xuan3 yu hsüan |
to optimize; preferred |
元選 see styles |
gensen げんせん |
(personal name) Gensen |
入選 入选 see styles |
rù xuǎn ru4 xuan3 ju hsüan nyuusen / nyusen にゅうせん |
to be included among those selected for (n,vs,vi) (ant: 落選・2) being selected (for a prize, exhibition, etc.); being accepted; winning |
公選 see styles |
kousen / kosen こうせん |
(noun, transitive verb) public election; election by popular vote |
再選 see styles |
saisen さいせん |
(noun/participle) re-election |
初選 初选 see styles |
chū xuǎn chu1 xuan3 ch`u hsüan chu hsüan |
primary election |
助選 助选 see styles |
zhù xuǎn zhu4 xuan3 chu hsüan |
to assist in a candidate's election campaign (Tw) |
勅選 see styles |
chokusen ちょくせん |
imperial nomination |
勝選 胜选 see styles |
shèng xuǎn sheng4 xuan3 sheng hsüan |
to win an election |
勾選 勾选 see styles |
gōu xuǎn gou1 xuan3 kou hsüan |
to select (one or more options from a list); to check (a box) |
厳選 see styles |
gensen げんせん |
(noun, transitive verb) careful selection; careful screening; hand-picking |
參選 参选 see styles |
cān xuǎn can1 xuan3 ts`an hsüan tsan hsüan |
to be a candidate in an election or other selection process; to run for office; to turn out to vote |
可選 可选 see styles |
kě xuǎn ke3 xuan3 k`o hsüan ko hsüan |
available; optional |
国選 see styles |
kokusen こくせん |
(noun - becomes adjective with の) (See 私選・1) selection by the state (esp. of a defense lawyer); appointment; assignment |
多選 see styles |
tasen たせん |
(noun/participle) being re-elected (multiple times) |
大選 大选 see styles |
dà xuǎn da4 xuan3 ta hsüan dai sen |
general election Monk Designate |
婦選 see styles |
fusen ふせん |
(abbreviation) (See 婦人選挙権) women's suffrage |
官選 see styles |
kansen かんせん |
(noun, transitive verb) government-appointed |
The following table may be helpful for those studying Chinese or Japanese...
Title | Characters | Romaji (Romanized Japanese) | Various forms of Romanized Chinese | |
Choice Choose Select | 選 选 | sen | xuǎn / xuan3 / xuan | hsüan |
Chosen Handpicked | 精選 精选 | seisen | jīng xuǎn jing1 xuan3 jing xuan jingxuan | ching hsüan chinghsüan |
Choose Life | 選擇生活 选择生活 | xuǎn zé shēng huó xuan3 ze2 sheng1 huo2 xuan ze sheng huo xuanzeshenghuo | hsüan tse sheng huo hsüantseshenghuo |
|
The Chosen One | 選ばれし者 | erabareshimono | ||
Choose Your Own Destiny | 選擇自己的命運 选择自己的命运 | xuǎn zé zì jǐ de mìng yùn xuan3 ze2 zi4 ji3 de ming4 yun4 xuan ze zi ji de ming yun xuanzezijidemingyun | hsüan tse tzu chi te ming yün | |
Failure in Not an Option | 失敗並非一種選擇 失败并非一种选择 | shī bài bìng fēi yì zhǒng xuǎn zé shi1 bai4 bing4 fei1 yi4 zhong3 xuan3 ze2 shi bai bing fei yi zhong xuan ze | shih pai ping fei i chung hsüan tse | |
In some entries above you will see that characters have different versions above and below a line. In these cases, the characters above the line are Traditional Chinese, while the ones below are Simplified Chinese. |
Successful Chinese Character and Japanese Kanji calligraphy searches within the last few hours...
All of our calligraphy wall scrolls are handmade.
When the calligrapher finishes creating your artwork, it is taken to my art mounting workshop in Beijing where a wall scroll is made by hand from a combination of silk, rice paper, and wood.
After we create your wall scroll, it takes at least two weeks for air mail delivery from Beijing to you.
Allow a few weeks for delivery. Rush service speeds it up by a week or two for $10!
When you select your calligraphy, you'll be taken to another page where you can choose various custom options.
The wall scroll that Sandy is holding in this picture is a "large size"
single-character wall scroll.
We also offer custom wall scrolls in small, medium, and an even-larger jumbo size.
Professional calligraphers are getting to be hard to find these days.
Instead of drawing characters by hand, the new generation in China merely type roman letters into their computer keyboards and pick the character that they want from a list that pops up.
There is some fear that true Chinese calligraphy may become a lost art in the coming years. Many art institutes in China are now promoting calligraphy programs in hopes of keeping this unique form
of art alive.
Even with the teachings of a top-ranked calligrapher in China, my calligraphy will never be good enough to sell. I will leave that to the experts.
The same calligrapher who gave me those lessons also attracted a crowd of thousands and a TV crew as he created characters over 6-feet high. He happens to be ranked as one of the top 100 calligraphers in all of China. He is also one of very few that would actually attempt such a feat.
Check out my lists of Japanese Kanji Calligraphy Wall Scrolls and Old Korean Hanja Calligraphy Wall Scrolls.