The word "模特" is formed through phonetic borrowing, where the two characters are chosen primarily for their sound to approximate the English word "model". The character "模" (mó) captures the initial "mo" sound, while "特" (tè) approximates the "del" sound, together creating a near-homophone for the foreign term. Although each character has its own inherent meaning ("模" can relate to pattern or standard, and "特" to special), in this compound, those meanings are largely secondary or associative, serving mainly to create a recognizable sound for a borrowed concept.