材 (cái) - material & timber

材Tone 2

cái ｜ 7 strokes ｜ radical: 木

偲嫦

材 · cái

material;

timber;

talent;

ability;

substance;

person of ability

materialtimbertalent

Usage highlights

materialtalentteaching materialtimberraw materialability

Synonyms

Antonyms

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • This is good building material (材料).
  • He is a talented person (人才).
  • We need more teaching materials (教材).
  • This wood is high-quality timber (木材).

Collocations

  • material(材料)
  • talent(人才)
  • teaching material(教材)
  • timber(木材)
  • raw material(原材料)
  • ability(才能)

Idioms

  • Great talent takes time to mature(大器晚成)
  • Talented person with great potential(栋梁之材)
  • Waste of talent and resources(大材小用)
  • Born with natural talent(天生我材必有用)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Originally referred to timber and wood materials, later extended to mean talent and ability.
  • In Confucian tradition, cultivating one's talent (材) was essential for serving society.
  • The character reflects the traditional value placed on both material resources and human talent.

FAQ