The word 合伙人 is formed by combining three individual characters, each contributing a core meaning to create the new concept: 合 (hé) means "to combine" or "join", 伙 (huǒ) conveys the idea of a "partnership" or "group of people", and 人 (rén) means "person". Thus, the characters are assembled in a logical sequence to literally mean a "person who joins a partnership", directly constructing the notion of a partner or business associate.