The word 爱情 is formed by combining two powerful conceptual characters: 爱, which means "to love" or "love" as an active verb or deep affection, and 情, which signifies "feeling", "emotion", or the innate substance of human sentiment. Together, they create a compound where the first character provides the specific action or core concept (love), and the second character deepens and defines its nature, transforming it from a general act into the profound, all-encompassing emotional state of "romantic love". It is a fusion where "love" (爱) is given its emotional heart and essential quality by "feeling" (情), forming a complete and resonant idea greater than the sum of its parts.