Meaning of 材料
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- (raw) material
- data
- (fig.) person who has the potential to do the job
How to use 材料
材料 covers physical materials like building supplies, and also documents or written materials you prepare or hand in. 请把申请材料交给我。(Qǐng bǎ shēnqǐng cáiliào jiāo gěi wǒ.) Please give me the application materials.
材 (cái) has 木 (wood) on the left, so think of timber as the classic building material. 料 (liào) also appears in 原料 (yuánliào, raw material) and 燃料 (ránliào, fuel), so together the two characters mean the stuff you work with.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 材料 (cáiliào) and 资料 (zīliào). 资料 leans toward information and reference data, while 材料 is the safer choice for physical materials and for documents you submit.
材料 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
材 cái · timber · 7 strokes
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料 liào · material · 10 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 材料.
| 教材 | jiàocái | teaching material |
| 资料 | zīliào | material; resources |
| 身材 | shēncái | stature; build (height and weight) |
| 燃料 | ránliào | fuel |
| 塑料 | sùliào | plastic; plastics (general term for synthetic polymer materials) |
| 原料 | yuánliào | raw material |
| 塑料袋 | sùliàodài | plastic bag |
| 饮料 | yǐnliào | drink; beverage |
| 题材 | tícái | subject matter |
| 不料 | bùliào | unexpectedly; to one's surprise |
| 棺材 | guāncai | coffin |
| 料到 | liàodào | to foresee; to anticipate |
Questions about 材料
What does 材料 mean?
材料 (cáiliào) means "(raw) material; data" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 材料?
材料 is made of 2 characters: 材 (7 strokes), 料 (10 strokes). That is 17 strokes in total.
Is 材料 an HSK word?
Yes. 材料 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How can 材料 describe a person?
In a figurative sense, 材料 means someone with the right qualities for a role. For example, 他是当老师的材料 (tā shì dāng lǎoshī de cáiliào) means he has what it takes to be a teacher.
What is the difference between 材料 and 原料?
原料 (yuánliào) specifically means raw material before processing, like crude oil or cotton. 材料 is broader and can include processed materials and even documents.