The Chinese term 耶酥 (Yēsū) is a phonetic transliteration specifically used to refer to Jesus Christ, formed through a process of adapting the sound of his name from its Greek/Latin origin "Iesous" into corresponding Chinese characters that approximate its pronunciation. The characters 耶 (yē) and 酥 (sū) were chosen primarily for their sound, not their meaning (酥 literally means "crispy" or "flaky," but here is semantically empty), creating a conventionalized name within the context of Christianity in China. This practice is standard for rendering foreign names and sacred terms into Chinese, with this particular form becoming entrenched through centuries of historical Bible translations and missionary work.