The word 优美 is formed through the conceptual fusion of its two component characters: 优 (yōu), which carries connotations of excellence, superiority, and abundance, and 美 (měi), which means beauty or beautiful. Together, they do not merely add their meanings but blend them to create a single, nuanced idea of "graceful" or "elegant", where the quality of being outstanding (优) fundamentally defines and elevates the nature of the beauty (美) being described. It is a harmonious compound where the first character modifies and intensifies the second, resulting in a term for a refined and superior aesthetic quality.