The word 怪异 is formed by combining two characters, each contributing a layer of meaning to create a unified concept. The first character, 怪 (guài), carries the core idea of "strange", "odd", or "uncanny", often with a connotation of something mystifying or supernatural. The second character, 异 (yì), means "different", "unusual", or "extraordinary", emphasizing a departure from the normal or expected. When placed together, they do not merely add but multiply their meanings; 异 intensifies and specifies the nature of the strangeness implied by 怪, resulting in a compound that conveys a powerful sense of something that is not just oddly different, but profoundly and unsettlingly peculiar.