The word 利用 is formed through a conceptual combination of its two component characters: 利, which carries the core meaning of "sharpness", "advantage", or "benefit", and 用, which means "to use". The formation conceptually merges these ideas into a single unit meaning "to use something for its advantageous potential" or "to put to beneficial use". It describes the act of employing an object, resource, or situation, with the inherent purpose or outcome of gaining a practical benefit or profit from it, effectively fusing the action of "using" with the intention of "gaining advantage" into one consolidated term.