The word 毒品 is formed by combining the character 毒 (dú), meaning "poison" or "toxic", with the character 品 (pǐn), meaning "product", "article", or "substance". This creates a conceptual compound that directly labels and categorizes a certain class of substances as "poisonous products". The term does not merely describe a chemical property but inherently frames these substances through a lens of inherent danger and social harm, effectively functioning as a single, condemnatory label for what are known in English as narcotics or illegal drugs.