'开采' is a compound verb meaning 'to exploit (natural resources)' or 'to mine'. It combines two characters: '开' (kāi), which literally means 'to open' or 'to start', and '采' (cǎi), meaning 'to gather' or 'to collect'. Together, they convey the idea of opening up and extracting valuable materials—especially minerals, oil, gas, or timber—from the earth or natural environment. The word emphasizes industrial-scale extraction rather than casual gathering.

This term is used almost exclusively in formal, technical, or administrative contexts—such as government policy documents, environmental reports, news about resource management, or geological surveys. It carries neutral-to-negative connotations depending on context; for example, '过度开采' (excessive exploitation) often appears in discussions about ecological damage. It does not apply to harvesting crops or picking fruit—those use verbs like '收割' or '采摘' instead.