The word "斯蒂芬" is a phonetic transliteration formed specifically to represent the sound of the English name "Stephen" or "Steven" in Chinese. It is constructed using individual characters (斯 sī, 蒂 dì, 芬 fēn) chosen not for their literal meanings, but because their combined pronunciation closely approximates the original English name's syllables. This is a standard method in Chinese for adapting foreign names, where a series of characters with neutral or positive connotations are selected to create a new, sound-based word with no inherent semantic link to the name's original meaning.