The word 空气 (kōngqì, "air") is formed by combining two conceptual building blocks: 空 (kōng), which carries the meaning of "sky", "emptiness", or "void", and 气 (qì), which represents "vapor", "gas", or the fundamental energetic substance that flows through all things. Together, they create the composite idea of the "vapor of the void" or the "gas of the sky", conceptually capturing the invisible yet vital gaseous substance that surrounds and fills the earthly space, forming what we understand as the atmosphere or breathable air.