The Chinese word "旗帜" is formed by combining two characters, each contributing to the overall meaning of "flag" or "banner". The character "旗" is composed of "方", suggesting something square or a region, and "其", which primarily provides phonetic guidance, historically evolving from symbols representing flags. The character "帜" consists of "巾", meaning cloth, indicating the material, and "只", serving as a phonetic element. Together, these characters create a compound word where both elements reinforce the concept of a flag, with "旗" emphasizing the banner itself and "帜" highlighting its cloth nature, resulting in a cohesive term for a flag.