The word 奴隶 (slave) is formed by combining two characters, each contributing to the overall concept of complete subjugation. The first character, 奴, originally depicted a woman (女) under force (又), conveying the core idea of a servant or captive. The second, 隶, historically meant "to attach" or "to belong to", representing a subordinate or bound servant. Together, they create a compound where the second character intensifies and specifies the first: a 奴 who is not merely a servant but is definitively 隶, owned, attached, and stripped of autonomy. This formation mirrors the historical reality of a person transformed into property, captured through conquest or debt and permanently bound to a master.