The word 物质 is formed by combining two conceptual characters: 物 (wù), which means "thing" or "object", and 质 (zhì), which means "substance", "essence", or "intrinsic quality". Together, they conceptually merge to create a single, unified idea, where 物 provides the notion of a concrete or tangible entity, and 质 provides the notion of its fundamental material or essential makeup. This fusion results in the abstract yet comprehensive concept of "matter" or "material substance", representing the physical stuff that constitutes the universe, effectively blending the idea of individual objects with their intrinsic material nature.