The word 来自 is formed by combining two independent characters, each with its own core meaning, into a single conceptual unit. The first character, 来 (lái), carries the essential idea of "to come" or "coming", while the second, 自 (zì), conveys the fundamental notion of "from" or "originating at". Their combination does not create a new, abstract meaning but rather directly merges these two spatial-directional concepts to form the compound idea of "to come from", picturing a movement that originates at a source and arrives at a point of reference.