资料

• Pinyin: zī liào
• Hanzi breakdown: 资 = 贝 (shell/money) + 次 (next, phonetic), resources; 料 = 米 (grain) + 斗 (dipper), material

Meaning

Data; information; materials; reference documents. Collected factual content used for study, research, or work.

Refers to documents, files, or data gathered for a specific purpose such as research, a report, or a project. It can be physical (printed materials) or digital (files, databases). Common collocations include 查资料 (look up information), 收集资料 (collect materials), and 参考资料 (reference materials).

Examples

1. 他花了一个星期收集关于这个课题的资料。 He spent a week collecting materials on this research topic.
2. 请把相关资料发到我的邮箱，我明天来不及带。 Please send the relevant materials to my email — I won't have time to bring them tomorrow.
3. 图书馆里有大量历史资料供研究人员查阅。 The library holds a large amount of historical materials for researchers to consult.

Usage Guide

Context: academic, workplace, research

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 我需要查一些背景资料。(I need to look up some background information.)
• 这份资料对我的论文很有帮助。(This material is very helpful for my thesis.)

Don't Say

• 把'资料'用于个人消息或聊天内容 (Don't use 资料 to mean personal messages or chat content — use 消息 or 信息 for those)

Origin & History

Compound of 资 (resources, funds) and 料 (material, to expect). The combination shifts meaning toward 'documentary material or data for reference'.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal