The word 节目 is formed by combining two meaningful characters: 节, which originally referred to the joints in bamboo (a natural segment or division), and 目, meaning "eye" but extending to "item" or "entry" in a list. Together, they create a conceptual metaphor where 节 provides the framework of segmented time (like acts or segments of an event), and 目 supplies the specific listed items or performances that fill those segments. Thus, the compound visually and conceptually depicts a schedule or performance as a sequence of distinct, listed segments, hence its meaning of "program" or "show".