TSUMUGU · TOCFL A1 (est.) · 字
采
采 ＝ 爪 ＋ 木
ㄘㄞˇ · cǎi/cài
verb — to pick, pluck; (采邑) a fief
字源 FORM — what the parts do
爪義a hand reaching down (爫)
A hand (爫) over a tree (木) — fingers closing on fruit, to pick. From plucking the right one comes choosing: 採用、神采. The split-off 採 (with 扌) took over the verb; 采 keeps the older root.
故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by
手（爫）探進枝葉（木），指尖一合——摘下了那顆。
A hand (爫) reaches into the branches (木), fingertips close — and the fruit is picked.
字源記憶法
意 · Meanings
cǎi
(本義)採摘— to pick, pluck常用
→採用、采取— to select, adopt常用
⇒神采、風采— bearing, radiance — what one shows
cài
(引申)采邑— a fief, an allotted land
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension