The word 结婚 is formed by combining two characters, each contributing a core concept to create the meaning of "to marry". The first character, 结 (jié), carries the idea of "to tie", "to knot", or "to bind together". The second character, 婚 (hūn), means "marriage" or "wedding". Thus, the compound visually and conceptually represents the act of "tying the marriage knot" or "forming a marital bond", where two individuals are joined together in union.