The Chinese word 世俗 (shìsú) is a compound term formed by combining two individual characters, each contributing to its overall meaning: 世 (shì), which signifies "world," "generation," or "society," and 俗 (sú), meaning "custom," "convention," or "common practice." Together, they create a concept that literally translates to "worldly customs," referring to the prevalent attitudes, materialistic concerns, and mundane conventions of ordinary society, often carrying a slightly negative connotation of superficiality or being disconnected from higher spiritual or philosophical ideals. Thus, its formation follows the common Chinese linguistic pattern of combining meaningful morphemes to express a more complex, abstract idea.