The word 未来 is formed by combining two independent characters, each contributing its core meaning to create a new, abstract concept. The first character, 未 (wèi), carries the fundamental meaning of "not yet" or "has not happened", establishing a temporal state of incompletion. It is paired with 来 (lái), which means "to come". When placed together, their meanings logically merge: 未 modifies 来 to specify a particular kind of "coming", one that is not yet here. Thus, the compound conceptually points to "that which has not yet arrived", directly and pictorially representing the idea of the "future".