The word 管理 (guǎnlǐ, "to manage") is formed through the semantic combination of its two component characters. The first character, 管, originally depicted a bamboo tube or pipe, evolving to convey meanings of control, authority, and oversight, like directing the flow through a conduit. The second character, 理, is based on the idea of working with jade, representing the act of ordering, organizing, or putting things in their proper pattern. Together, they conceptually merge the notion of exercising control and authority (管) with the notion of organizing and bringing order (理) to create the comprehensive idea of management, governance, or administration.