Definition
素材 refers to raw source material used in creative or artistic work (writing, film, painting). It differs from 材料 (cáiliào), which is broader — any physical material or factual data — and from 原料 (yuánliào), which is specifically industrial raw material. 本事 (běn shì) is a near-synonym but is more literary and often refers to the original story or plot source.
noun
source material (for creative works, e.g., writing, film, art)
Examples
- 素材。Dǎoyǎn cóng lìshǐ shìjiàn zhōng tíqǔ le sù cái.The director extracted source material from historical events.
- 素材。Zhè piān xiǎoshuō de sù cái láizì zuòzhě de qīnshēn jīnglì.The source material for this novel comes from the author's personal experience.
- 素材。Huàjiā yòng rìcháng shēnghuó zhōng de sù cái chuàngzuò le yì fú yóuhuà.The painter used everyday life as source material to create an oil painting.
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