The word 迟早 is formed through a conceptual fusion of two opposite notions of time: 迟 (chí), meaning "late" or "delayed", and 早 (zǎo), meaning "early" or "soon". By juxtaposing these two extremes, the compound does not signify a specific point in time but instead creates an abstract, all-encompassing temporal concept. It visually and intellectually suggests the entire spectrum of time, from the earliest possible moment to the latest, thereby evoking the inevitable certainty of an event occurring somewhere within that boundless range. This formation embodies a classical Chinese philosophical and rhetorical device where the union of opposites yields a new, holistic idea, in this case, the inescapable notion of "sooner or later".