The Chinese word **美术 (měishù)** for "fine arts" is a compound term formed through semantic combination: **美 (měi)** means "beauty" or "aesthetic," and **术 (shù)** means "art," "technique," or "method." Together, they literally translate to "the art of beauty" or "aesthetic technique," conceptually encapsulating disciplines like painting, sculpture, and design. This term was adopted in the late 19th to early 20th century as a modern translation for the Western concept of "fine arts," often through Japanese scholarly influence (where the same kanji, 美術 *bijutsu*, is used), reflecting a process of creating new vocabulary by repurposing classical Chinese morphemes to express contemporary abstract ideas.