The word 相关 is formed by combining two characters, each contributing a core concept to create a new, fused meaning. The first character, 相 (xiāng), fundamentally carries the idea of "mutually" or "each other", depicting one entity observing another. The second, 关 (guān), originally picturing a bar across a gate, conveys the sense of a "connection", "barrier", or "pivotal point". When merged, these characters visually and notionally blend to express the state where two or more things are mutually connected or have a bearing upon one another, forming the abstract concept of interrelatedness or correlation.