The word 百合 (bǎihé), meaning "lily", is a classical Chinese compound formed through semantic combination, where 百 (bǎi, "hundred") and 合 (hé, "to unite" or "to join") together metaphorically describe the plant's characteristic of having "a hundred united" petals or scales, poetically referring to its multi-petaled, layered bulb structure. This formation exemplifies a common pattern in Chinese word creation where two characters merge their literal meanings to evoke a vivid, descriptive image for an object or concept, often drawing from observed botanical features. Over time, the term has also acquired extended cultural meanings, such as symbolizing purity and union.