收集 meaning in English

shōují

to gather; to collect

HSK 5verb18 strokes

Meaning of 收集

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

shōují

to gather
to collect

How to use 收集

收集 is used for gathering things or information over time, like stamps, data, opinions, or evidence. Example: 我喜欢收集邮票。(Wǒ xǐhuan shōují yóupiào.) I like collecting stamps.

收 (shōu) means to take in or receive, as in 收到 (shōudào), and 集 (jí) means to gather together, as in 集中 (jízhōng). Put them together and you take things in and gather them in one place: 收集 (shōují), to collect.

Common mistake: Learners often mix up 收集 (shōují) with 收拾 (shōushi), which means to tidy up, not to collect. Also keep both tones high and rising correctly: shōu is first tone and jí is second tone.

收集 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

我wǒ收shōu集jí各gè国guó的de娃wá娃wá。

I collect dolls from different countries.

他tā收shōu集jí了le一yī些xiē讯xùn息xī。

He collected bits of information.

你nǐ还hái在zài收shōu集jí邮yóu票piào吗ma？

Do you still collect stamps?

我wǒ收shōu集jí很hěn多duō邮yóu票piào。

I have a large collection of stamps.

我wǒ还hái没méi有yǒu收shōu集jí到dào足zú够gòu的de材cái料liào来lái写xiě一yī本běn书shū。

I haven't yet collected sufficient materials to write a book.

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

收 shōu · to receive · 6 strokes

集 jí · to gather · 12 strokes

Related words

Words that share a character with 收集.

收到	shōudào	to receive
收入	shōurù	to take in; income
集中	jízhōng	to concentrate; to centralize
收音机	shōuyīnjī	radio
收看	shōukàn	to watch (a TV program)
集体	jítǐ	collective (decision); joint (effort)
收费	shōufèi	to charge a fee
收听	shōutīng	to listen to (a radio broadcast)
集合	jíhé	to gather; to assemble; (math.) set
收回	shōuhuí	to regain; to retake
收获	shōuhuò	to harvest; to reap
吸收	xīshōu	to absorb; to assimilate

Questions about 收集

What does 收集 mean?

收集 (shōují) means "to gather; to collect" and is used as a verb.

How do you write 收集?

收集 is made of 2 characters: 收 (6 strokes), 集 (12 strokes). That is 18 strokes in total.

Is 收集 an HSK word?

Yes. 收集 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

What is the difference between 收集 and 搜集?

Both mean to gather. 搜集 (sōují) suggests searching around to find things, so it is common with information or materials that are hard to find. 收集 is more general and also covers simply accumulating things.

Can 收集 be used for collecting people or money?

It is not usually used for gathering people. For that, use 集合 (jíhé) or 召集 (zhàojí). For collecting money from people, 收钱 (shōu qián) or 筹集 (chóují) are more natural.