TSUMUGU · TOCFL 2 (est.) · 字
材
ㄘㄞˊ · cái
noun — timber, material, stuff; ability, talent
字源 FORM — what the parts do
Wood (木) with 才 — timber, the usable stuff of a tree. 才 cái carries the sound exactly. From raw timber comes material of any kind, then the raw stuff of a person: 材料、人材.
故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by
一棵樹（木）放倒，鋸成正好能用（才）的木料。
A tree (木) felled and sawn into timber just good enough (才) to build with.
字源記憶法
意 · Meanings
(本義)木料— timber, wood stock
→材料、器材— material, stuff常用
⇒人材、教材— talent; teaching material
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension