The word 不如 is formed through the conceptual combination of its two constituent characters: 不 (bù), meaning "not", and 如 (rú), which in its classical sense means "to equal", "to match", or "to be like". When fused, they create a direct, literal notion of "not equal to" or "not matching up to". This fundamental idea of inequality evolves into its core meaning of one thing being inferior or less desirable than another, forming a single lexical unit that expresses comparative disadvantage through this simple, logical negation of equivalence.