The word 行李 is formed through a historical semantic shift where two characters, each with their own original meanings, combined to create a new concept. 行 originally meant "to walk" or "a journey", while 李 meant "plum tree" or, by ancient extension, a servant or official (possibly through homophonic association or as a family name). In ancient texts, 行李 referred to an envoy or diplomatic officer, a person traveling on a mission. Over time, the meaning transferred from the traveler to the belongings the traveler carries, solidifying into its modern sense of "luggage" through this metonymic process where the thing carried came to bear the name of the role associated with carrying it.