The word 洗礼 is a compound noun formed through semantic combination: the first character 洗 (xǐ) means "to wash" or "to cleanse", and the second character 礼 (lǐ) means "ritual" or "ceremony". Together, they literally translate to "washing ritual", which directly corresponds to the Christian concept of baptism, a sacrament involving symbolic purification with water. Over time, its usage has expanded metaphorically in modern Chinese to describe any profound, initiating, or purifying experience (e.g., "the baptism of fire"). Thus, the term blends a concrete action (washing) with an abstract concept (ceremony) to create a specific religious and figurative meaning.