The Chinese word **定期** is a compound term formed by combining two meaningful characters: **定** (*dìng*), which means "to fix," "to set," or "stable," and **期** (*qī*), which means "period," "term," or "scheduled time." Structurally, it follows a common verb-object pattern where the first character (**定**) acts upon the second (**期**), literally creating the meaning "to set/fix a period." This logical combination extends metaphorically to form an adjective or adverb meaning "regular," "fixed-term," or "periodically" (e.g., a fixed-term deposit or a regular meeting), where the core idea is an action or state that occurs at predetermined, fixed intervals.