The word 办公 is formed by combining two characters whose core meanings conceptually merge to create a new idea. The first character, 办 (bàn), carries the essential meaning of "to handle" or "to do". The second, 公 (gōng), fundamentally means "public" or "official" affairs. When placed together, the compound does not simply mean "to do public things"; instead, it synthesizes into the integrated concept of "handling official business", which naturally evokes the setting and activity of an office. Thus, the formation directly builds the notion of office work from the action of managing public or official tasks.