Meaning of 题材
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- subject matter
How to use 题材
题材 is used for the subject matter of creative or informational works such as novels, films, paintings and news reports. It often appears with words like 选择 (xuǎnzé, choose) or in phrases like 历史题材 (lìshǐ tícái, historical subject matter). Example: 这部电影的题材很新颖。(Zhè bù diànyǐng de tícái hěn xīnyǐng.) The subject matter of this film is very fresh.
题 (tí) means a topic or title, and 材 (cái) means material, like timber with the wood radical 木. Put them together: the material you build a topic from is the subject matter.
Common mistake: Learners often use 题材 where 话题 (huàtí) fits better. 话题 is a topic of conversation, while 题材 is the material or theme of a work, so you would not say 我们换个题材 when changing the topic in a chat. Also, 材 (cái) is not 才 (cái, talent), even though they sound the same.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
题 tí · topic · 15 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
材 cái · timber · 7 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
Related words
Words that share a character with 题材.
| 问题 | wèntí | question; problem |
| 难题 | nántí | difficult problem |
| 话题 | huàtí | subject (of a talk or conversation); topic |
| 标题 | biāotí | title; heading |
| 题目 | tímù | subject; title; topic; exercise or exam question (CL:道[dao4]) |
| 专题 | zhuāntí | specific topic (addressed by a book, lecture, TV program etc); article, report or program |
| 教材 | jiàocái | teaching material |
| 试题 | shìtí | exam question; test topic |
| 材料 | cáiliào | (raw) material; data |
| 主题 | zhǔtí | theme; subject |
| 身材 | shēncái | stature; build (height and weight) |
| 课题 | kètí | task; problem |
Questions about 题材
What does 题材 mean?
题材 (tícái) means "subject matter" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 题材?
题材 is made of 2 characters: 题 (15 strokes), 材 (7 strokes). That is 22 strokes in total.
Is 题材 an HSK word?
Yes. 题材 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 题材 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 题材 is written 題材.
What is the difference between 题材 and 题目?
题目 (tímù) is a title or an exam question, the actual label or prompt. 题材 is the broader content area a work deals with, such as war, love or rural life.
Can 题材 be used for writing material in school essays?
Yes. Teachers often talk about 写作题材 (xiězuò tícái), meaning the material or subject you choose to write about. It can also mean the stories or experiences you draw on for an essay.