HSK · Level 14
135 words
Chinese word
原材料
Pronunciation
Pinyinyuán cái liào
Meaning
- nouningredients
Example
这个菜的原材料都很新鲜。zhè ge cài de yuán cái liào dōu hěn xīn xiān
The ingredients for this dish are all very fresh.
More examples
工厂正在寻找新的原材料供应商以降低成本。gōng chǎng zhèng zài xún zhǎo xīn de yuán cái liào gōng yìng shāng yǐ jiàng dī chéng běn
The factory is looking for new raw material suppliers to reduce costs.
Core concept
The starting substance that enters a recipe or production process and is changed into something finished.
Common phrases
采购原材料cǎi gòu yuán cái liào
purchase raw materials
原材料供应商yuán cái liào gōng yìng shāng
raw material supplier
检测原材料质量jiǎn cè yuán cái liào zhì liàng
inspect raw material quality
Similar words
原料yuán liào: An unprocessed substance used as an input in manufacturing or other production.
材料cái liào: A substance or part used to make, build, or repair something.
食材shí cái: Raw food used to prepare a dish.
配料pèi liào: A food ingredient or seasoning added to adjust a dish's flavor or other qualities.
Definition in Chinese
用于生产、加工或烹饪的基本物料，通常指未经或仅经少量加工、可作为投入的原始材料。yòng yú shēng chǎn jiā gōng huò pēng rèn de jī běn wù liào tōng cháng zhǐ wèi jīng huò jǐn jīng shǎo liàng jiā gōng kě zuò wéi tóu rù de yuán shǐ cái liào
Word origin
The compound combines 原 (yuán, "original") + 材 (cái, "material") + 料 (liào, "material") to describe material kept close to its starting form before use.
Usage tips
- On food packaging, the word identifies what goes into making the item, while factory and business discussions use it for inputs to non-food products as well.
Other meanings
- raw materialsnoun
- materialsnoun
Opposites
- 成品chéng pǐnfinished productnoun
- 半成品bàn chéng pǐnsemi-finished productnoun
Related words
- 原材料供应商yuán cái liào gōng yìng shāngraw material suppliernoun
- 原材料成本yuán cái liào chéng běnraw material costnoun