The character 采 (cǎi) carries the ancient meaning of "to pluck" or "to gather", as from a tree or plant, which evolved to signify "to select" or "to choose". The character 用 (yòng) means "to use" or "to employ". The formation of the compound word 采用 (cǎiyòng) is a direct and logical semantic combination of these two actions: it conceptually merges the process of selecting or picking out (采) something with the subsequent action of putting it to use or applying it (用), thereby forming the single integrated meaning "to adopt and use", or simply "to adopt".