The Chinese word 戒律 (jièlǜ) is a compound term formed by combining two semantically related characters: 戒, which means "precept," "prohibition," or "to abstain," and 律, which means "law," "rule," or "discipline." Together, they create a binomial word whose meaning is more specific than either character alone, specifically referring to the code of moral and disciplinary precepts, especially within a religious context like Buddhism, where it denotes the formal rules and vows that govern monastic conduct. This formation follows the common Chinese linguistic pattern of pairing near-synonyms to solidify an abstract concept, resulting in a term that comprehensively conveys the idea of binding ethical rules and prohibitions.