The Chinese word "以色列" (Yǐsèliè) for "Israel" is formed through a process of phonetic translation, where characters are chosen primarily for how closely their pronunciations mimic the sounds of the foreign name. The three characters 以 (yǐ), 色 (sè), and 列 (liè) were selected because, when spoken in sequence, they approximate the sound of "Israel", with no inherent connection to the individual meanings of the characters themselves. This is a standard method in Chinese for transcribing foreign proper nouns, especially country names, creating a consistent and recognizable sonic reference.