The word 地理 (dìlǐ, meaning "geography") is a compound formed by combining the character 地 (dì, meaning "earth" or "land") with the character 理 (lǐ, meaning "pattern", "principle", or "order"). Together, they create a literal meaning of "the patterns or principles of the earth", which directly corresponds to the study of the physical features of the Earth and its atmosphere, human activity, and the relationships between them. This formation follows the common Chinese morphological pattern where two meaningful characters (morphemes) are joined to produce a new, specific concept.