采 (cǎi): to pick, to pluck, to collect
采 (cǎi) is a Chinese character meaning “to pick.” Classified as HSK Level 5 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 爫 (structural) and 木 (structural). It ranks #585 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 采 a hand picking 爫 fruit from a tree 木. Its radical form 釆 (distinguish) appears in many related characters such as 释 (shì, to explain).
Definitions
- to pick
- to pluck
- to collect
Etymology & Origin
ideographicA hand picking 爫 fruit from a tree 木
Decomposition: ⿱爫木 (layout: top-bottom)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 采 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 采
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 采取verb | cǎi qǔ | to adopt or carry out (measures, policies, course of action) | 5 |
| 采访verb | cǎi fǎng | to interview | 5 |
| 采用verb | cǎi yòng | to adopt | 5 |
| 采集verb | cǎi jí | to gather | 6 |
| 采纳verb | cǎi nà | to accept | 6 |
| 采购verb/noun | cǎi gòu | to procure (for an enterprise etc) | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 风采 | fēng cǎi | svelte |
| 开采 | kāi cǎi | to extract (ore or other resource from a mine) |
| 无精打采 | wú jīng dǎ cǎi | dispirited and downcast (idiom) |
| 兴高采烈 | xìng gāo cǎi liè | happy and excited (idiom) |
| 采矿 | cǎi kuàng | mining |
| 神采奕奕 | shén cǎi yì yì | in glowing spirits (idiom) |
| 采石场 | cǎi shí chǎng | stone pit |
| 采样 | cǎi yàng | sampling |
| 采摘 | cǎi zhāi | to pluck |
| 没精打采 | méi jīng dǎ cǎi | listless |
| 采油 | cǎi yóu | oil extraction |
| 采购员 | cǎi gòu yuán | buyer |
| 采光 | cǎi guāng | to get natural light (e.g. through a window) |
| 神采飞扬 | shén cǎi fēi yáng | in high spirits (idiom) |
| 文采 | wén cǎi | literary talent |
采 appears in 77 compound words: 69 as the first character, 21 as the last, and 10 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 采 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (6)
lit. to pluck orchids and gift peonies (idiom); fig. (of lovers) to exchange presents
Example Sentences
采字在不同的语境中有不同的用法。
cǎi zì zài bù tóng de yǔ jìng zhōng yǒu bù tóng de yòng fǎ .
The character "采" has different usages in different contexts.
年后开学采购即时到位 Coupang酷澎火箭速配隔...
nián hòu kāi xué cǎi gòu jí shí dào wèi C o u p a n g kù péng huǒ jiàn sù pèi gé . . .
After the start of the year, the purchase is immediately in place, Coupang, Cool Peng rocket, speed dating...
首相考虑解冻军队采购资金 确保武装部队行动不受影响
shǒu xiāng kǎo lǜ jiě dòng jūn duì cǎi gòu zī jīn què bǎo wǔ zhuāng bù duì háng dòng bù shòu yǐng xiǎng
The prime minister considered unfreezing military procurement funds to ensure that armed forces operations were not affected
台欧盟品种权合作新里程碑 品种权采认扩大纳入文心兰
tái ōu méng pǐn zhǒng quán gě zuò xīn lǐ chéng bēi pǐn zhǒng quán cǎi rèn kuò dà nà rù wén xīn lán
A new milestone in Taiwan-EU variety rights cooperation The adoption of variety rights has been expanded to include Wenxin orchid
三宝妈圣诞采买后离家未归!24年后现身 子女心情五味...
sān bǎo mā shèng dàn cǎi mǎi hòu lí jiā wèi guī ! 2 4 nián hòu xiàn shēn zǐ nǚ xīn qíng wǔ wèi . . .
Sanbao's mother left home after Christmas shopping! Appeared after 24 years, and the children's mood is five...
传统采洗牡蛎费工费时 台南引进洗蚵机提升效率
chuán tǒng cǎi xǐ mǔ 蛎 fèi gōng fèi shí tái nán yǐn jìn xǐ 蚵 jī tí shēng xiào lǜ
Traditional oyster washing is labor-intensive and time-consuming, and Tainan has introduced oyster washing machines to improve efficiency
你们采取什么措施避孕？
Nǐmen cǎiqǔ shénme cuòshī bìyùn?
What methods of contraception are you using?
我们采取了强有力的预防措施。
Wǒmen cǎiqǔ le qiángyǒulì de yùfáng cuòshī.
We took strong measures to prevent it.
老人采取了傲慢的态度。
Lǎorén cǎiqǔ le àomàn de tàidu.
The old man assumed an impudent attitude.
德国在1880年代采取了一种社会保障制度。
Déguó zài 1880 niándài cǎiqǔ le yīzhǒng shèhuìbǎozhàng zhìdù.
Germany adopted a social security system in the 1880's.
Character Family
釆 Radical Family — Characters sharing the distinguish radical
Related Characters
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 采 (cǎi) mean in Chinese?
How many strokes does 采 have?
What is the radical of 采?
What are the components of 采?
What are common words containing 采?
What characters sound the same as 采 (cǎi)?
Is 采 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 采 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear native pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.