The word 世事 (shìshì) is a compound formed by combining two characters: 世 (shì), meaning "world", "society", or "generation", and 事 (shì), meaning "matter", "affair", or "event". Together, they create a concept that literally translates to "world affairs" or "the matters of the world". It is an example of a coordinative compound, where both components are of equal grammatical rank and their meanings merge to form a single, more abstract idea, specifically referring to the complex, ever-changing circumstances of human life and society.