The word 基因 (jīyīn), meaning "gene", is formed through a process of semantic translation and compounding. It was created in the early 20th century to translate the Western biological concept, constructed by selecting two existing characters whose inherent meanings conceptually match the idea: 基 (jī), meaning "base" or "foundation", and 因 (yīn), meaning "cause" or "factor". These are combined to form a new compound that literally and intuitively signifies the "basic cause" or "fundamental factor" of heredity, thus capturing the essence of the original scientific term through the meaningful assembly of native linguistic components.