The word "虐待" (nüèdài, meaning "to abuse" or "maltreat") is formed through a logical conceptual combination of two characters. The first character, "虐", depicts the idea of cruelty or oppression, historically resembling a tiger menacing a victim. The second character, "待", means to treat or deal with someone. When combined, the concept of "cruelty" directly modifies the action of "treating", resulting in the compound meaning of "to treat with cruelty", perfectly capturing the act of abuse.