The word 摄影机 is formed by combining three characters: 摄 (shè), meaning "to capture"; 影 (yǐng), meaning "shadow" or "image"; and 机 (jī), meaning "machine". It is constructed conceptually by sequentially specifying function and form: first, the action of capturing (摄); then, specifying what is captured, light/images (影); and finally, categorizing the object as a mechanical device (机). Thus, the term logically builds from the abstract action to the concrete object, resulting in a compound meaning "image-capturing machine", or camera.