The word "物理" is formed by combining two meaningful characters: "物" (wù), which means "thing" or "matter", and "理" (lǐ), which means "principle", "order", or "inner pattern". Together, they create a conceptual compound that literally means "the principle of things" or "the order of matter", which is a direct and descriptive name for the field of study that investigates the fundamental laws of nature, physics.