The Chinese word "自由" is formed by combining the character "自", meaning "self" or "from oneself", with "由", meaning "reason", "cause", or "through". Together, they create a compound where "自" indicates the self as the source, and "由" conveys following or originating from that source, literally interpreted as "from oneself" or "self-determined", which directly expresses the concept of freedom as acting based on one's own will.