The word 资料 is formed through the conceptual blending of its two component characters: 资, which carries meanings of capital, endowment, or foundational material, and 料, which means material, substance, or stuff to be processed. Together, they create a new, composite idea where "foundational capital-material" metaphorically evolves to mean "information" or "data", the processed and organized substance (料) that serves as a resource or capital (资) for knowledge and reference.