The word 听说 is formed by combining two independent characters, each representing a core action: 听 (tīng), which depicts an ear and means "to hear", and 说 (shuō), which involves speech and means "to speak". Their combination does not merely list actions but conceptually merges them into a single integrated idea. It encapsulates the complete pathway of information, from someone speaking it to someone hearing it, to form a new meaning: "to hear said" or "it is heard that", representing knowledge gained indirectly through oral communication rather than direct experience.