The word 冰箱 is formed by combining two meaningful characters: 冰 (bīng), meaning "ice", and 箱 (xiāng), meaning "box" or "chest". It is a straightforward, descriptive compound where the two concepts are placed side-by-side to name the object. The term literally means "ice box", which is a direct and functional description of the appliance's primary purpose, to create a cold, icy environment for preserving food, historically achieved with actual ice blocks. Over time, this literal name was retained for the modern electrical refrigerator.