过滤

• Pinyin: guò lǜ
• Hanzi breakdown: 过 = to pass through; 滤 = 氵(water) + 虑 (to consider carefully) — straining with care

Meaning

To filter; to screen out impurities or unwanted elements from a substance or set of information.

Used both literally for physical filtration (water, air, chemicals) and figuratively for screening data, information, or applicants. In digital contexts it is widely used for content moderation and spam filtering. Carries a sense of selecting only what meets a defined standard.

Examples

1. 净水器通过多层过滤去除了水中的杂质和有害物质。 The water purifier removes impurities and harmful substances through multiple layers of filtration.
2. 平台通过算法对用户上传的内容进行自动过滤，屏蔽违规信息。 The platform uses algorithms to automatically filter user-uploaded content and block violations.
3. 他习惯先过滤掉垃圾邮件，再处理真正重要的工作事项。 He always filters out junk mail first, then handles the tasks that really matter.

Usage Guide

Context: technology, science, data, environment

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 系统会自动过滤掉不符合条件的申请，只保留满足要求的候选人。(The system will automatically filter out applications that do not meet the criteria, keeping only qualified candidates.)
• 这款空气净化器能有效过滤PM2.5颗粒物，改善室内空气质量。(This air purifier can effectively filter PM2.5 particles and improve indoor air quality.)

Don't Say

• 他过滤了自己的想法 — for mentally discarding thoughts use 筛选 or 排除; 过滤 implies a structured, mechanical or algorithmic process

Origin & History

过 (to pass through) + 滤 (to strain, to filter)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal