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Source. Hall (1935), Theorem 1, statement and necessity on printed p. 27, proof on pp. 28–29 (canonical PDF). The numbered statement gives sufficiency; the preceding paragraph supplies necessity.

Statement. Let m≥0m\ge0 be an integer and (Ti)i∈[m](T_i)_{i\in[m]} a finite indexed family of subsets of any set SS. There is an injective assignment a:[m]→Sa:[m]\to S with ai∈Tia_i\in T_i for every ii if and only if

∣⋃i∈ITi∣≥∣I∣for every I⊆[m].(1)\left|\bigcup_{i\in I}T_i\right|\ge |I| \qquad\text{for every }I\subseteq[m]. \tag{1}

The individual TiT_i may be infinite or equal to one another. The right side is a finite cardinal, interpreted as in the definitions. For a bipartite graph whose left vertex set LL is finite, this is equivalently the existence of a matching covering LL precisely when ∣N(X)∣≥∣X∣|N(X)|\ge|X| for every X⊆LX\subseteq L. The right vertex set can be arbitrary; the finite-graph version is a special case.

Proof. If such an assignment exists, then {ai:i∈I}⊆⋃i∈ITi\{a_i:i\in I\}\subseteq\bigcup_{i\in I}T_i contains exactly ∣I∣|I| elements. This proves necessity.

For sufficiency, the case m=0m=0 is witnessed by the empty function. For m=1m=1, (1) says T1≠∅T_1\ne\varnothing, so one representative exists. Suppose m≥2m\ge2, assume the result for m−1m-1 indices, and assume (1) for the given family. Every subfamily of T1,…,Tm−1T_1,\ldots,T_{m-1} satisfies the same condition, so the induction hypothesis gives at least one representative assignment for these first m−1m-1 sets. Fix one such assignment a1,…,am−1a_1,\ldots,a_{m-1} and let

F∗=⋂B∈R(T1,…,Tm−1)B,I∗={i∈[m−1]:ai∈F∗},ρ=∣I∗∣.F^*=\bigcap_{B\in\mathcal R(T_1,\ldots,T_{m-1})}B,\qquad I^*=\{i\in[m-1]:a_i\in F^*\},\qquad \rho=|I^*|.

The forced-intersection lemma gives

⋃i∈I∗Ti=F∗,∣F∗∣=ρ.\bigcup_{i\in I^*}T_i=F^*,\qquad |F^*|=\rho.

If Tm⊆F∗T_m\subseteq F^*, the ρ+1\rho+1 distinct indices in I∗∪{m}I^*\cup\{m\} would have union F∗F^* of size ρ\rho, violating (1). This argument includes ρ=0\rho=0: in that case it would say Tm=∅T_m=\varnothing and contradict the one-index condition. Thus there is x∈Tm∖F∗x\in T_m\setminus F^*.

Since the nonempty collection defining F∗F^* has an intersection that omits xx, at least one of its representative ranges omits xx. Choose an assignment b1,…,bm−1b_1,\ldots,b_{m-1} with such a range. Appending bm=xb_m=x gives an assignment for all mm sets. Its old values are distinct, and its new value was absent from their range, so it is injective. This finishes the induction.

For the graph formulation, index the left vertices by [m][m] and put Ti=N(i)T_i=N(i) in the right vertex set. An injective representative assignment selects one incident edge at each left vertex with distinct right endpoints, exactly a matching covering LL. The union in (1) is N(X)N(X) for the corresponding set of left indices. This proves the stated equivalence as well. □\square

Source precision. This is Hall's induction through the intersection of all representative ranges of the first m−1m-1 sets. The printed p. 29 has ρ≥0\rho\ge0, and no positivity assumption is inserted. The m=0m=0 case and explicit graph translation are elementary compilation additions; the source's printed induction starts with m=1m=1. No finiteness of SS or of the individual sets enters the argument. Only finitely many selections are made; no compactness or infinite choice theorem is used.

Used by. Theorem 2. The exact finite specialization also supplies the Hall inputs in the two-copy matching proof and the replicated-family partition proof. Their other arguments and external dependencies are not re-proved here.

Bears on. Problem 126: the two-copy matching argument for that problem cites this theorem for its Hall step. Hall's paper does not mention the problem. The theorem covers finitely many indexed sets, not an arbitrarily indexed family.