The word 画廊 is formed by combining two characters: 画 (huà), meaning "painting" or "drawing", and 廊 (láng), meaning a "corridor", "veranda", or "covered walkway". The term visually and conceptually merges the idea of artworks (画) with the architectural space of a long, hall-like passage (廊), creating the composite meaning of a "picture gallery" or "art gallery", imagining a place where one walks along a passageway lined with displayed paintings.