The Chinese word 缺席 (quēxí), meaning "to be absent", is a compound formed by combining two meaningful characters: 缺 (quē), which means "to lack" or "be missing", and 席 (xí), which originally means "mat" or "seat" and, by extension, signifies one's designated place at a gathering. Therefore, the term is constructed logically and metaphorically to depict the state of "lacking one's seat" or "one's place being vacant", directly conveying the concept of absence from an event or duty.