The word 喷泉 is formed by combining two pictographic and conceptual elements: 喷 (pēn), which depicts the action of something bursting or gushing forth from the mouth, and 泉 (quán), which originally depicted water flowing from a spring in a cliffside. Together, they create a composite image where the first character provides the dynamic action of "spouting" and the second provides the essential substance and natural source of "water spring", visually and conceptually merging to mean a man-made or natural "fountain" or "water jet".