材 cái timber
timber; material; stuff; talent
How to remember 材: 木 tree + 才 only just = timber. The old tree fell in the storm and has only just been cut into planks, and the neighbours already share the timber.
Component breakdown
材 = 木 tree + 才 only just
- 木 tree
- 才 only just
The old tree fell in the storm and has only just been cut into planks, and the neighbours already share the timber.
How it is used
- Bound; material/timber/talent. 材料 (cáiliào) material(s), 木材 (mùcái) timber, 教材 (jiàocái) teaching materials.
- 材料 (cáiliào) covers physical stuff and also documents/information (准备材料, prepare the paperwork).
- 身材 (shēncái) = one's figure/build: 身材好 (shēncái hǎo) has a good figure; 题材 (tícái) = subject matter of a work.
Words with 材
- 材料cáiliàomaterialHSK 4
- 教材jiàocáiteaching materialHSK 5
- 身材shēncáistatureHSK 5
- 原材料yuáncáiliàoraw and semifinished materialsHSK 6
- 木材mùcáiwoodHSK 6
- 材质cáizhìtexture of timberHSK 6
- 题材tícáisubject matterHSK 6
- 取材qǔcáito collect materialHSK 7
- 药材yàocáimedicinal ingredientHSK 7
- 器材qìcáiequipmentHSK 8
- 棺材guāncaicoffinHSK 9
- 素材sùcáisource material (in literature and art)HSK 9
Example sentences
- 木头是很好的建筑材料。 Mùtou shì hěn hǎo de jiànzhù cáiliào.Wood is a very good construction material.