採 (cǎi) - To pick & to pluck

採Tone 3

cǎi ｜ 11 strokes ｜ radical:

偲嫦

採 · cǎi

To pick;

to pluck;

to gather;

to collect;

to select;

to choose;

to adopt.

To pickto pluckto gather

Usage highlights

Pick teaCollect samplesAdopt measuresSelect materialsMining mineral resourcesInterview news

Synonyms

  • 摘— to pick; to pluck
  • 选— to select; to choose
  • 集— to collect; to gather

Antonyms

  • 弃— to abandon; to discard
  • 舍— to give up; to relinquish

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • She picks tea leaves in the morning (采茶).
  • The system collects data automatically (采集数据).
  • They adopted new methods (采用新方法).
  • We need to select the best candidate (采选最佳人选).

Collocations

  • Pick tea(采茶)
  • Collect samples(采集样本)
  • Adopt measures(采取措施)
  • Select materials(采选材料)
  • Mining mineral resources(采矿)
  • Interview news(采访新闻)

Idioms

  • Unable to decide(莫衷一是，无所采择)
  • Adopt what is good and reject what is bad(采善贬恶)
  • Gather extensively from many sources(博采众长)
  • Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed(神采奕奕)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Originally depicted a hand picking fruit from a tree, representing the action of gathering or selecting.
  • Used in contexts ranging from agricultural harvesting to intellectual selection of ideas or methods.
  • In modern usage, appears in technical terms like 'data collection' (采集) and 'mining' (采矿).

FAQ