The word "勤工俭学" is formed by the sequential combination of four characters: 勤 (diligent), 工 (work), 俭 (frugal), and 学 (study). It directly constructs two conceptual pairs, "勤工" meaning diligent work and "俭学" meaning frugal study, which are merged to denote the practice of working to fund one's education while living economically.