采用
cǎiyòng · HSK 3
adoptive
✋ 采用 = 采 (pick/pluck) + 用 (use) → pick something to use
采 pictographs a hand 爫 over a tree 木 — plucking fruit. 用 means use or apply. Together: to pick and put into use, i.e. adopt or employ a method, plan, or person.
采 — hand 爫 (claw) on top of tree 木
采 is an ideographic character showing a hand (爫) reaching down over a tree (木), depicting picking fruit or leaves. Its original meaning was 'to pluck' or 'gather,' which extended to 'collect' and 'select.' Later it also took on the sense of 'colorful' or 'variegated,' a meaning now often written as 彩.
用 — pictograph of a bucket or wooden pail
用 originally depicted a bucket or container, possibly a sacrificial vessel made of wood. Over time it was borrowed to mean 'to use' or 'employ,' losing its concrete object sense. The modern meaning 'use' has been standard since early classical Chinese.