拾い集める

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 拾い集める（ひろいあつめる） combines 拾い, the linking form of 拾う, with 集める.
• Basic usage: It describes picking up scattered objects and gathering them together.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• One object versus a collection
  • 拾う can describe picking up a single object, while 拾い集める focuses on gathering multiple objects.
• Specifying how things are gathered
  • 集める alone leaves the method open. For the seashells and scattered papers in the examples, 拾い集める specifies gathering by picking them up.