The word 手术室 (shǒushùshì) is formed by logically combining three conceptual building blocks: 手 (hand) and 术 (technique/procedure) first unite to mean "surgical operation", literally a "hand technique". This compound then directly modifies 室 (room), specifying the type of room, resulting in the complete meaning of "the room for surgical operations", or an "operating room". It is a straightforward, literal assembly where the first idea defines the purpose of the second.