The word 义务 is formed through the conceptual fusion of its two component characters: 义 (yì), which conveys the idea of righteousness, moral principle, or what is ethically right, and 务 (wù), which denotes an affair, task, or something one must do. Together, they combine not merely as "righteous task" but synthesize into the abstract notion of a duty or obligation one is bound to undertake, often by moral or social principle, rather than by personal choice or for compensation. The formation thus moves from individual concepts of morality and necessary action to a unified idea of compulsory moral responsibility.