The word "牛仔裤" (niúzǎikù) for "jeans" is formed through a direct, visual translation of the garment's origin and cultural association. It combines "牛" (niú, cow) referencing the tough cowhide leather originally used, "仔" (zǎi, a diminutive or colloquial term for a young person, here evoking the "boys" or laborers who wore them), and "裤" (kù, trousers/pants). Thus, the characters together literally and conceptually paint the idea of "cowboy pants".