The word 总部 (zǒngbù), meaning "headquarters", is formed through a logical, conceptual combination of its two component characters. The first character, 总 (zǒng), carries meanings of "general", "overall", or "chief", implying a central or commanding authority. It is joined with 部 (bù), which means "section", "department", or "part". Therefore, the compound is created by directly combining the idea of the "chief" or "central" (总) authority with the idea of a "department" or "unit" (部), to conceptually designate the chief department from which overall control is exercised, the headquarters.