The word 发掘 is formed by combining two pictographic characters whose inherent meanings merge to create a new, metaphorical concept. The first character, 发 (fā), originates from an image of a hand releasing an arrow from a bow, carrying a core sense of "to send out" or "to initiate". The second, 掘 (jué), derives from a pictograph of a hand using a tool to dig into the earth, meaning "to dig". When placed together, they form a conceptual compound where the action of physical digging (掘) is abstractly applied to uncover and bring forth (发) something that was buried or concealed, leading to the combined meaning of "to excavate" or "to discover".