The word "网络" is formed through a direct and vivid conceptual combination of its two component characters. The first character, "网" (wǎng), originally depicts a pictorial net or web, representing any interconnected, mesh-like structure. The second character, "络" (luò), carries the core meaning of "to connect" or "to link", often describing something web-like or a system of interwoven pathways. When combined, the term visually and notionally builds from a simple physical "net" ("网") to the more abstract idea of a "connecting web" or "interlinking network" ("络"), perfectly capturing the essence of a system where multiple points are woven together, which now universally denotes a "network", especially in the digital sense.