The word 信念 is formed through the conceptual fusion of its two component characters: 信 (xìn), which carries the core meaning of "trust", "faith", or "sincerity", and 念 (niàn), which represents "thought", "idea", or "conscious contemplation". Together, they create a compound idea where an internal thought or idea (念) is given substance and permanence because it is anchored by a deep-seated trust and sincere commitment (信). Thus, the word conceptually emerges not as two separate notions but as the unified idea of a "belief" or "conviction", a thought one has faith in.