The word 孤儿 is formed by combining two characters: 孤, which originally depicted a lone infant (derived from the idea of a fatherless calf) and means "alone" or "orphaned", and 儿, which is a pictograph of a child. They are placed side-by-side to create a single concept. The first character provides the defining condition of being alone or bereft, and the second specifies the subject to which that condition applies, a child. Thus, their literal combination visually and semantically paints the idea of a "lonely child", which directly means "orphan".