The word 指示 is formed through the logical combination of two meaningful characters: 指 (zhǐ), which means "to point" (as with a finger), and 示 (shì), which means "to show" or "to demonstrate". The compound creates a sequential, cause-and-effect idea: one points at something in order to show it, thereby conveying the abstract concepts of giving an instruction, direction, or indication. The formation is semantic, where the combined meaning of the parts directly informs the meaning of the whole.