The word 电视 (diànshì) for "television" is formed by the direct conceptual combination of its two component characters: 电 (diàn), meaning "electricity" or "electric", and 视 (shì), meaning "vision" or "to look at". It is a compound noun where the first element describes the medium (electric) and the second element describes the sensory experience (sight), thereby creating the new, integrated meaning of "electric sight" or "seeing by electricity", which perfectly encapsulates the device's function.