The word "会员" is formed by combining two meaningful characters. The first character, "会" (huì), carries the core idea of an assembly, meeting, or association, a group coming together. The second character, "员" (yuán), means a person or a member. Therefore, when placed together, "会员" conceptually paints the picture of "an association member", literally, a person who belongs to a society or group, which directly conveys its meaning of "member" (as in a club, service, or organization).