The word "五花肉" is formed by sequentially combining the character 五 (meaning "five"), the character 花 (meaning "flower" or, in this context, "patterned" or "streaked"), and the character 肉 (meaning "meat"), to literally denote "five-flower meat", which directly refers to a specific cut of pork characterized by its distinct alternating layers of fat and lean meat that create a patterned, flower-like appearance.