The word 中断 is formed by combining two individual characters, each contributing its core meaning to create a new, composite concept. The first character, 中 (zhōng), means "middle" or "center", suggesting a point within a process. The second character, 断 (duàn), means "to break" or "to sever". When combined, they create a vivid, almost pictorial meaning of "to break in the middle", which directly and intuitively conveys the idea of an interruption, a discontinuation, or a halt occurring midway through an action or process.