The word 没有 is formed through the straightforward combination of two independent characters, each contributing its core conceptual meaning to create a new, composite idea. The first character, 没 (méi), carries the fundamental sense of "to disappear, to be without, or to drown", implying absence or negation. It is directly paired with the second character, 有 (yǒu), which fundamentally means "to have" or "to exist". Therefore, the formation is essentially a conceptual fusion where 没 directly negates the state of possession or existence denoted by 有, resulting in the combined meaning of "to not have" or "there is not".