The word "下令" is formed through the direct and literal combination of two characters: "下" (xià), meaning "down" or "to descend", and "令" (lìng), meaning "command" or "order". It visually and conceptually creates the image of an order being issued downward from a position of authority, such as from a superior to a subordinate, capturing the action of issuing a command as a downward-directed act. The formation is purely ideographic, merging these two core concepts into a single, intuitive compound representing the act of giving an official order.