The word "劫数" is formed by combining the character "劫", which denotes a calamity or disaster, often with connotations of a cyclical or inevitable event from Buddhist cosmology, with the character "数", which means number, fate, or destiny; together, they create a compound meaning a predestined disaster or inescapable fate, where the first character supplies the concept of catastrophe and the second imposes the idea of it being fated or predetermined.