The word 假如 is formed by combining two independent characters, each contributing its core meaning to create a new, unified concept. The first character, 假, carries the idea of "borrowed", "temporary", or "hypothetical". The second, 如, means "like", "as", or "according to". Their conjunction creates a sequential logic: first, a hypothetical scenario is posited (假), and then a comparison or consequence is drawn in relation to it (如), thus fusing into the conditional meaning of "if" or "supposing that".