The Chinese word **来历** (láilì) is a compound noun formed by combining two meaningful characters: **来** (lái), which fundamentally means "to come" and by extension conveys the idea of "origin" or "source," and **历** (lì), meaning "to pass through" or "experience," and by extension "history" or "record." When combined, the two characters create a synergistic meaning that refers to the **origin, background, or history of a person, event, or object**—essentially, the story of where something "came from" and what it has "passed through" or experienced over time. This formation is a classic example of how many Chinese words are constructed by uniting two semantically related characters to express a more specific, abstract concept.