The word 本质 (běnzhì, essence/nature) is formed through the conceptual combination of two meaningful components. The first character 本 depicts a tree with a stroke marking its base, representing the "root" or "origin" of something. The second character 质 conveys the idea of the inherent, fundamental, and unchanging "substance" or "quality" of a matter. Together, they create a compound where the notion of "original root" (本) is fused with "intrinsic substance" (质) to express the core idea of the fundamental and indispensable nature of an entity.