The word 相爱 is formed through a beautifully direct conceptual fusion of its two component characters: 相, which conveys mutual or reciprocal action (like "each other"), and 爱, meaning "to love" or "love". By placing them side-by-side, the formation visually and semantically depicts love not as a solitary feeling but as an active, shared state that exists between individuals. It creates a single, compact idea of "mutual love" or "loving each other", where the first character defines the nature of the action implied by the second.