The word 症状 (zhèngzhuàng) is formed by logically combining two characters, each contributing a core piece of meaning to create a new, integrated concept. The first character, 症 (zhèng), signifies "disease" or "ailment" itself, the underlying medical problem. The second, 状 (zhuàng), means "shape", "form", or "appearance", representing the observable or felt condition. Together, they seamlessly merge into the concept of "symptom", where 症 provides the cause (the disease) and 状 provides the manifesting evidence (its specific form), effectively capturing the idea of the outward signs or sensations that indicate the presence of an illness.