The word 摄影 is formed by combining two characters, each contributing a core conceptual piece to create the meaning of "photography". The first character, 摄 (shè), carries the essential idea of "taking in", "absorbing", or "capturing". The second character, 影 (yǐng), means "shadow" or, by classical poetic and artistic extension, "image" or "reflection". Therefore, the compound literally and conceptually depicts the process of capturing an image, perfectly encapsulating the fundamental action of photography as fixing a visual impression or light-based likeness onto a surface.