The word "联合国" (Liánhéguó) is formed through a direct and meaningful translation of the name "United Nations". It was created by combining three existing Chinese characters: "联" (lián), meaning to unite or ally; "合" (hé), meaning to join or combine; and "国" (guó), meaning nation or country. The term was consciously constructed in the mid-20th century to name the new international organization, with the characters "联合" together conveying the concept of "united" or "allied", which then modifies "国" (nations). Thus, it is a semantic compound built specifically to represent this foreign entity in a way that is immediately understandable in Chinese.