The term "疟疾" (nüèji) for malaria is a compound word formed through semantic combination, where each character contributes meaning to describe the disease. The first character, "疟" (nüè), is a pictophonetic character itself, containing the sickness radical "疒" to indicate illness and the phonetic component "虐" (nüè, meaning "cruel" or "tyrannical"), which also semantically hints at the disease's severe, recurrent nature. The second character, "疾" (jí), broadly means "sickness" or "swift illness." Together, "疟疾" literally translates to a "cruel/recurrent sickness," accurately characterizing malaria's hallmark symptoms of cyclical chills and high fever, thus creating a precise and descriptive medical term.