The Chinese word 条约 (tiáoyuē), meaning "treaty" or "pact", is a compound word formed through the combination of two meaningful characters: 条 (tiáo), which conveys the idea of "item", "clause", or "order", and 约 (yuē), which means "agreement", "appointment", or "to bind". Morphologically, it is a coordinative compound where both components contribute semantically to create a new, specific meaning, 条 references the articulated articles or provisions, while 约 emphasizes the binding, contractual nature of the document. Thus, the term synthetically denotes a formal, itemized agreement between parties, perfectly capturing the concept of a negotiated and codified contract, typically between states.