The word 源自 (yuán zì) is a modern Chinese verb compound formed through semantic combination, where the character 源 (yuán), meaning "source" or "origin", is directly paired with the preposition 自 (zì), meaning "from". This creates a logical and intuitive structure meaning "to originate from" or "to derive from", effectively functioning as a single lexical unit that grammatically behaves as a transitive verb to indicate the provenance or root of something.