The word 托儿所 (tuō'érsuǒ), meaning "nursery" or "daycare center," is a logical and descriptive compound formed from three distinct characters: 托 (tuō, to entrust or hold up), 儿 (ér, child), and 所 (suǒ, a place or institution). It follows a clear "verb-object-location" construction, literally translating to "a place to entrust children," where 托 acts as the verb (the action of entrusting), 儿 is its object (the children being entrusted), and 所 denotes the institutional setting where this action occurs. This formation efficiently encapsulates the core function of the institution in its very name.