The Chinese word "士兵" is formed through the semantic combination of two characters: "士", which historically denotes a person of service or duty, often in a military or scholarly context, and "兵", which directly refers to soldiers, weapons, or military affairs. Together, they create a compound word where "士" emphasizes the role of a person committed to service, and "兵" specifies the martial domain, resulting in the meaning of "soldier" or "rank-and-file troop", effectively conveying the idea of an individual engaged in military service.