The word 火星 (Mars) is formed through direct descriptive association: the first character 火 means "fire", referencing the planet's distinctive reddish color in the night sky, which resembles glowing embers or fire. The second character 星 means "star" or "celestial body", a general term for planets and stars in ancient Chinese astronomy. Thus, the name literally means "fire star", an ancient observational label based on the planet's most striking visual characteristic.