当选
dāngxuǎn · HSK 5
get elected
🗳️ 当 (take on role) + 选 (chosen) = be chosen to take on a role
当 means to serve as or take on a position; 选 means to choose or elect. Together: chosen to take on the role, i.e. get elected. Compare 当代 (current era) and 选举 (election).
当 — small ⺌ + crown 冖 + hand 彐 (simplified from 當: 尚 + 田)
Originally written 當, combining 田 'field' with 尚 as a phonetic. The early sense was 'to match' or 'face' a field of equal value, extended to 'correspond to', 'ought to', and 'serve as'. The simplified form 当 streamlines the upper 尚 component.
选 — 辶 walk + 巽 (xùn, phonetic)
选 combines the walking radical 辶 with 巽, which suggests the sound. The original sense relates to going through or passing by, extended to 'picking out' or 'choosing' from a group. The simplified form replaces the older 選.