The term 少爷 (shàoyé) is a compound word formed through semantic combination, where 少 (shào) means "young" and 爷 (yé) historically means "lord", "master", or "father". It originated in feudal Chinese society as a respectful form of address for the young master or unmarried son of a wealthy, aristocratic, or high-status household, essentially denoting "young lord". The word thus encapsulates a social hierarchy and familial structure, where 爷 indicates authority and status within the family, and 少 specifies the youth and junior generation of that privileged class. Over time, its usage has evolved and sometimes broadened, but it retains its core association with youthful male members of affluent families.