The Chinese word "爱尔兰" is formed through a process of phonetic transliteration, where characters are chosen primarily for their sound values to approximate the pronunciation of the foreign name "Ireland". Each character corresponds to a syllable: "爱" (ài) mimics the "I" or "ai" sound, "尔" (ěr) represents the "r" or "er" sound, and "兰" (lán) approximates the "land" portion, albeit without the final consonant, as is common in Chinese adaptations. This method results in a cohesive and standardized representation that allows Chinese speakers to recognize and refer to the country based on its auditory likeness.