The word 匹配 is formed through the parallel combination of two semantically similar characters to create a single, reinforced concept: both 匹 (pǐ), which carries the ancient sense of being a mate or counterpart (as in a pair), and 配 (pèi), meaning to join, harmonize, or suit, independently contribute notions of partnership and fitting together. Their union in this compound word merges these overlapping ideas into a unified, abstract meaning of "to match", "to correspond", or "to be compatible", where the whole meaning is essentially the sum and emphasis of its nearly synonymous parts.