The word 演员 (yǎnyuán), meaning "actor" or "performer", is formed by combining two meaningful characters. The first character, 演 (yǎn), carries the core meaning of "to perform" or "to enact". The second character, 员 (yuán), broadly signifies "a person" engaged in an activity or profession. Therefore, the compound logically and directly signifies "a person who performs", creating a clear and intuitive semantic unit.