The Chinese word 归属 (guīshǔ), meaning "to belong to" or "affiliation," is a compound formed by combining two semantically related characters: 归 (guī), which originally means "to return" or "to revert," implying a movement toward an origin or rightful place, and 属 (shǔ), meaning "to be under," "to subordinate to," or "to be part of." Together, they create a composite concept where 归 emphasizes the directional aspect of "belonging" (returning to where one is from) and 属 emphasizes the relational state of being connected or annexed, thus fully encapsulating the idea of something or someone having a rightful place within a larger group, system, or territory.