The word 收视率 is formed by combining three meaningful characters: 收 (shōu, to receive/collect), 视 (shì, vision/to watch), and 率 (lǜ, rate/ratio). It builds logically from the specific to the general: first, 收 and 视 join to create the concept of "receiving a viewing" or "watching" (as in watching TV); then, the character 率 is appended to this compound idea to signify the measurable "rate" or "percentage" of that activity. Thus, the entire compound sequentially denotes the "rate of viewing reception", which is understood as the viewership rating.