The word 其中 is formed through the direct and logical combination of two conceptual characters: 其 (qí), an ancient demonstrative meaning "that" or "those", and 中 (zhōng), meaning "middle", "center", or "inside". When placed together, they create a spatial metaphor, literally picturing "within that" or "inside those", which conceptually merges to express the idea of "among them" or "therein". It is a classical compound where the first character establishes a referent, and the second character places something within its scope, forming a single unit of meaning from this spatial relationship.