The word 年轻人 is formed by combining three individual characters, each contributing a core concept to create a new, composite meaning. 年 (nián) means "year", 轻 (qīng) means "light" (in weight), and 人 (rén) means "person". When sequenced, they create a vivid metaphorical image: a "light-year person", or more plainly, a person whose years are light, meaning not many years have accumulated. This visually and conceptually conveys the idea of a youthful person, blending the notion of age (年) with a qualitative descriptor of that age being slight or immature (轻), all applied to a human (人).