素材
sùcái · HSK 7
material
🪵 素材 = 素 raw/plain element + 材 timber/material = the raw stuff you build from
素 means plain or raw, and 材 means timber or material (the same 材 as in 木材 lumber and 教材 teaching materials). Together they name the source stuff a creator works with: footage, samples, or raw media.
素 — silk 糸 + sheng 𠂹 (hanging threads)
Originally depicted raw, undyed silk hanging to dry, with the silk radical 糸 below and strands above. From this came the meaning 'plain, unadorned, white,' then extended to 'basic element' or 'plain/simple' in general. The 'vegetarian' sense developed later from the idea of plain, unembellished food.