The Chinese word **票房** (piàofáng), meaning "box office," is a compound formed by combining two characters: **票** (piào), meaning "ticket," and **房** (fáng), meaning "room" or "house." Historically, it referred literally to the "ticket room" or booth where tickets were sold and revenue was collected at theaters. Over time, the term evolved metonymically to denote not just the physical location but, more importantly, the financial earnings and commercial success of a film or performance, thus capturing the concept of "box office" in both its literal and figurative senses.