The word 正经 is formed by combining two characters whose core concepts merge to create a new, unified idea. The first character, 正 (zhèng), carries the fundamental meaning of being upright, correct, or proper. It is joined with 经 (jīng), which originally referred to the warp threads in weaving, the foundational, unchanging longitudinal threads on a loom, and by extension came to signify canonical texts, constant principles, or enduring norms. Thus, 正经 conceptually fuses the idea of "correctness" with the idea of "foundational, canonical standards", resulting in a term that describes something as proper, serious, and orthodox, deriving its authority from established, respected norms.