The word 经济 is formed through semantic compounding, where two independent characters, each with their own meanings, are combined to create a new, unified concept. 经 originally conveyed ideas of "to manage", "to govern", or "the constant principles" of something, while 济 meant "to aid", "to cross a river", or "to benefit". Historically fused in classical texts like in the phrase "经世济民" (to manage the world and benefit the people), they together expressed the concept of statecraft and social administration. This classical compound was then adopted by Japanese scholars in the 19th century as a translation for the Western term "economy", and this modern, specialized meaning was subsequently re-borrowed into Chinese, where 经济 now encapsulates the entire concept of economic systems, activities, and thrift.