The word "法院" (fǎyuàn) is formed through the direct and logical combination of two meaningful characters: "法" (fǎ), which means "law", and "院" (yuàn), which means "courtyard", "compound", or "institution". Conceptually, it blends the idea of "law" with the idea of a "designated premises or establishment", resulting in the compound meaning of "a law institution" or "the courtyard of law", which is understood universally as a court of law.