采集
cǎijí · HSK 7
collect
🧺 采 = pick/pluck + 集 = gather together — harvest and compile
采 means to pick or pluck (as from a tree), and 集 means to gather into a collection. Together they form 'collect' or 'gather' — going out to pick things and bringing them all together in one place.
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.
集 — bird 隹 on top of tree 木
集 is an ideograph showing a bird (隹) perched on a tree (木). The original form depicted three birds gathering on a tree, later simplified to one. From 'birds flocking together' it extended to mean 'gather, collect, assemble,' and by extension 'collection' or 'volume' of writings.