The word "手册" (shǒucè) is formed through a straightforward conceptual combination of its two component characters: "手" meaning "hand", and "册" meaning "book" or "register". It visually and functionally evokes the idea of a "hand-book", a compact, bound volume that is meant to be held in the hand for convenient reference, guidance, or recording of information, directly mirroring the English term "handbook" in its conceptual origin.