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取材 (qǔ cái) — to gather material (for creative or journalistic work)

Definition

"取材" means to gather source material for writing, film, or research — it focuses on the act of collecting raw material, not publishing it. The phrase commonly pairs with 于/自 to indicate the source.

verb
to gather material (for creative or journalistic work)

Examples

  • 取材。
    Zhè bù diàn yǐng qǔ cái yú yí gè zhēn shí shì jiàn.
    This movie is based on a true event.
  • ，取材。
    Zuò jiā wèi le xiě xiǎo shuō, qù nóng cūn qǔ cái.
    The writer went to the countryside to gather material for his novel.
  • 取材。
    Zhè piān lùn wén qǔ cái zì dà liàng lì shǐ wén xiàn.
    This paper draws its material from a large number of historical documents.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

取qǔtake
材cáimaterial

“取” means to take, and “材” means material, together meaning to collect material.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

取 pairs 又 (hand) with 耳 (ear), showing a hand taking an ear, as in taking the ear of fallen prey.

Open 取 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mù
Sound part声符shēngfú
才
才cái材cái
Same sound today

材 combines 木, wood, with 才, cái, as its sound part.

Open 材 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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