The word 园丁 (yuándīng), meaning "gardener", is a compound formed by combining two characters: 园 (yuán), which means "garden" or "park", and 丁 (dīng), which historically referred to a "man" or "laborer". Together, they create a literal, descriptive term for a person whose work is in a garden. This formation follows a common Chinese morphological pattern where a noun (园) is modified by another noun or agentive marker (丁), effectively meaning "garden worker". The term can also be used metaphorically, such as calling a teacher a "gardener" of students, extending from its concrete, occupational origin.