资料 (zīliào)

资料 means "material," "data," or "reference" and refers to information, documents, or source materials used for research, study, or work.

Meanings

[noun] material; reference material; data; information
[noun] source; documentation; records

Example Sentences

我需要收集更多相关资料。 Wǒ xūyào shōují gèng duō xiāngguān zīliào. I need to collect more relevant materials.

图书馆有很多学习资料可以借阅。 Túshūguǎn yǒu hěn duō xuéxí zīliào kěyǐ jièyuè. The library has many study materials available for borrowing.

请把资料整理好发给我。 Qǐng bǎ zīliào zhěnglǐ hǎo fā gěi wǒ. Please organize the materials and send them to me.

这份资料对研究非常有价值。 Zhè fèn zīliào duì yánjiū fēicháng yǒu jiàzhí. This material is very valuable for research.

Collocations

Collocation	Meaning
参考资料	reference material
收集资料	to collect materials
整理资料	to organize materials
历史资料	historical materials

Usage Notes

资料 is commonly used in academic, professional, and educational contexts. It often refers to a collection of documents, data sets, or informational materials. The phrase 参考资料 (reference materials) is especially common in academic writing. It is broader than 数据 (shùjù, data in the numerical sense) and 文件 (wénjiàn, file or document).

Memory Hook

资 (zī) means "resources" and 料 (liào) means "material or ingredient": 资料 is the "resource material" you need for a task.