The word 世人 is formed by the direct conceptual combination of its two component characters: 世 (shì), meaning "world" or "generation", and 人 (rén), meaning "person" or "people". It is a pictographic and ideographic fusion where the first character establishes the broad, encompassing realm or age, and the second character specifies the subject within it. Together, they create the composite idea of "people of the world" or "common people", evoking an image of humanity viewed collectively within the context of society or all under heaven.