The word 条款 (tiáokuǎn) is formed by combining two characters, each contributing a specific conceptual layer to create the unified meaning of "clause" or "provision". The first character, 条 (tiáo), originally picturing a slender strip of wood, carries the abstract sense of an itemized entry or a listed article, like a line in a legal text. The second, 款 (kuǎn), which originally related to sincerity or a hollow, evolved to mean a detailed stipulation or a point of agreement within a framework. Thus, the compound conceptually fuses the idea of a listed, categorical item (条) with the specific, substantive content of that item (款), much like the heading of a clause and its detailed text, to represent a complete contractual or legal provision.