The word 婴儿 (yīng'ér) is formed by combining two characters that both conceptually center on the idea of a young child. The first character, 婴, is itself a composite: its upper part 贝 originally depicted a string of cowrie shells (ancient currency), symbolizing something precious or of value, while its lower part 女 means "woman" or "female"; together, 婴 conveys the idea of a cherished, small child, historically often a girl. The second character, 儿, is a pictograph representing a small child or infant. Thus, the compound 婴儿 essentially doubles down on the notion, pictorially and conceptually, to mean "infant" or "baby", a precious little child.