The Chinese word 废墟 is formed as a compound of two characters, each contributing a specific semantic layer to create a unified meaning. The first character, 废 (fèi), primarily means "to abandon", "to discard", or "useless/waste". The second character, 墟 (xū), originally referred to a "mound" or "ruins", especially of a former settlement. When combined, 废 describes the state of being discarded and ruined, while 墟 specifies the physical object, the mounds and remains of a structure. Thus, 废墟 directly and vividly denotes "abandoned ruins", a place that was once built but is now wrecked and deserted.