The word 何方 is formed through the combination of two distinct characters: 何 (hé), an interrogative meaning "what" or "which", and 方 (fāng), which means "direction", "place", or "region". Together, they create a classical Chinese phrase literally meaning "what direction/place", used to poetically or rhetorically ask "where?" or "from where?" Its formation is a direct and enduring grammatical construct where an interrogative modifies a noun of location, and while it originates in classical texts, it remains in modern usage primarily in set phrases like 何方神圣 (hé fāng shénshèng, "from whence comes this deity?" or "who on earth is this?"), preserving its rhetorical and slightly elevated tone.