The word "所谓" is formed by combining the character "所", which historically functions as a nominalizer or marker of a passive relationship (often translating to "that which"), with the character "谓", meaning "to say" or "to call". This pairing creates a fixed, classical compound that literally means "that which is called" or "what is said to be", abstractly capturing the idea of framing a concept or term as something labeled or defined, often by others, before commenting upon or questioning it.