The word 立即 is formed by combining two characters that each contribute a sense of immediacy and direct action. The first character, 立, originally depicts a person standing upright, conveying the idea of something happening at once or "on the spot". The second character, 即, shows a kneeling figure facing a vessel of food, representing the concept of "approaching" or "drawing near to" something without delay. When paired, these pictographic ideas reinforce each other to create a single, intensified concept meaning "immediately" or "instantly", where one character's notion of instantaneous occurrence merges with the other's sense of proximate action.