原材料 yuáncáiliào raw and semifinished materials
How to remember 原材料: 原 original + 材 timber + 料 ingredients = raw and semifinished materials.
Characters
How it is used
- Raw and semi-finished materials as production inputs - 原材料价格上涨 (yuáncáiliào jiàgé shàngzhǎng) rising raw-material prices.
- A fuller, more formal industrial term than 原料 (yuánliào); combines 原料 + 材料 to cover the whole span of supply inputs.
- Common in economics, manufacturing, and supply-chain discussion.