The word "帅哥" is formed by combining two distinct concepts into a single, culturally resonant idea. The first character, "帅" (shuài), originally meant "commander" or "marshal", evoking qualities of command, excellence, and impressive demeanor, which over time semantically shifted to predominantly mean "handsome" or "dashing". The second character, "哥" (gē), simply means "older brother", but is widely used as a familiar and slightly respectful term for a young man. When fused, the compound directly and efficiently creates the concept of a "handsome brother" or, more naturally, a "good-looking guy", leveraging the established cultural resonance of both leadership-associated attractiveness and casual male address to form a popular modern term.