The word 停车场 is formed by combining three individual characters, each representing a core concept, into a single compound idea. It starts with 停 (tíng), meaning "to stop" or "park", which modifies 车 (chē), meaning "vehicle". This combined idea of "parking vehicles" is then placed into a location or facility denoted by 场 (chǎng), meaning "a ground", "field", or "open area". Therefore, the formation progresses logically from an action (停) applied to an object (车) within a defined space (场), creating the complete concept of a "parking lot".