The word "伊凡" is formed through phonetic transcription, specifically to represent the foreign name "Ivan". The character "伊" (yī) is used for its sound to approximate the initial "I" syllable, while "凡" (fán) is chosen to mimic the "van" sound. This method selects characters based primarily on their pronunciation rather than their literal meanings, resulting in a combined term that sounds similar to the original name.