The word 传言 is formed by combining two individual characters, each contributing its core meaning to create a new, composite concept. The first character, 传 (chuán), carries the fundamental idea of "to transmit" or "to pass on". The second character, 言 (yán), represents "speech", "words", or "something said". When merged, the compound literally depicts "transmitted speech", conceptually blending into the notion of information, specifically gossip, hearsay, or rumor, that is passed verbally from person to person.