The Chinese word 客观 (kèguān), meaning "objective" or "objectivity", is a compound formed by combining two meaningful characters: 客 (kè), which literally means "guest" or "outsider", implying an external, detached perspective, and 观 (guān), meaning "to observe" or "view". Together, they create a conceptual compound where 客 metaphorically represents the external object or reality, and 观 represents the act of viewing it. Thus, the term philosophically denotes "viewing from the perspective of the external object" or "observation independent of the self", encapsulating the idea of impartial, fact-based perception as opposed to subjective (主观) experience.