The word 天然 (tiānrán) is a classical Chinese compound formed through the combination of two semantic components: 天 (tiān), meaning "heaven" or "nature", and 然 (rán), a grammatical particle meaning "so" or "thus", which here functions to indicate a state or condition. Together, they create a conceptual compound meaning "heaven-thus" or "as by heaven", which evolved to signify something that exists in its original, unaltered state, hence the modern meaning of "natural". The formation follows a modifier-head structure where 天 modifies 然, essentially denoting "the state of being as bestowed by nature". This reflects a traditional philosophical view that the most authentic state of things is inherent and ordained by the natural order.