The word 新闻 (xīnwén, "news") is formed through a direct and evocative conceptual combination of its two component characters: 新 (xīn), meaning "new" or "fresh", and 闻 (wén), which means "to hear" or "that which is heard". Together, they create the idea of "new tidings" or "freshly heard information", painting a mental picture of recent reports or happenings that have just arrived to one's ear, thus encapsulating the very essence of news as timely updates from afar.