材料

• Pinyin: cái liào
• Hanzi breakdown: 材 = 木 (wood) + 才 (talent, phonetic) — timber, material; 料 = 米 (rice) + 斗 (dipper) — to measure grain, matter

Meaning

Material; ingredient; data. Refers to raw materials, cooking ingredients, or documentary evidence.

A versatile noun with three main uses: (1) physical materials for construction or manufacturing (建筑材料); (2) ingredients for cooking (准备材料); (3) documents, information, or data for a report or application (申请材料). Context determines which sense is intended.

Examples

1. 做这道菜需要准备很多材料。 Making this dish requires preparing many ingredients.
2. 他正在收集写论文需要的材料。 He is collecting materials needed for writing his thesis.
3. 这种建筑材料既便宜又结实。 This type of building material is both cheap and sturdy.

Usage Guide

Context: cooking, work, construction, academic

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 请把申请材料准备好。(Please prepare the application materials.)
• 这个材料很适合做家具。(This material is very suitable for making furniture.)

Don't Say

• 用'材料'代替'原料'在工业语境中 (In industrial contexts, don't always use 材料 where 原料 is more precise — 原料 specifically means raw materials before processing, while 材料 is broader)

Origin & History

材 originally meant 'timber' or 'talent' (wood that can be shaped); 料 means 'to measure' or 'grain/matter'. Together they refer to raw matter that can be used for a purpose.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal