The character 培养 is formed by combining two meaningful components: 培, which originally depicted reinforcing an earthen embankment (土, earth) with a phonetic element (咅), conveying the idea of cultivating or building up from a foundation; and 养, which pictorially represents a person tending to sheep (𠂉 over 羊), carrying the core meaning of raising, nourishing, or providing sustenance. Together, they create a compound word where the agricultural and pastoral imagery of tending to soil and livestock merges into the abstract concept of fostering growth, development, or talent through patient nurturing and provision of necessary support.