The word 存活 is formed by combining two independent characters, each with its own core meaning: 存 (cún), which conveys "to exist", "to preserve", or "to store", and 活 (huó), which means "to live" or "alive". Their union is not arbitrary but conceptually parallel, where the meanings intersect and reinforce one another. Together, they create a composite idea where "existing" (存) merges with "living" (活) to express the integrated, sustained state of "survival" or "remaining alive".