The word 塑料 (sùliào, "plastic") is formed by combining two meaningful characters: 塑 (sù), which means "to mold" or "to model", and 料 (liào), which means "material". Together, they create a conceptual compound meaning "a material that can be molded", which perfectly captures the essential, defining property of plastic as a synthetic substance that is shaped during manufacture. The formation is not arbitrary but logically descriptive, building the term directly from the material's fundamental characteristic.