The word 关系 is formed through the conceptual combination of its two component characters. The first character, 关 (guān), originally depicted a bar across a gate, conveying the core ideas of a barrier, a pass, or a critical juncture, and by extension, something you are "involved in" or "concerned with". The second, 系 (xì), represents the action of tying or connecting, as with a cord. When combined, the compound visually and notionally creates the abstract idea of "connected junctures" or "involved ties", metaphorically representing the links, bonds, and mutual involvements that exist between people, things, or concepts, hence its meaning of "relationship", "connection", or "relevance".