The word 走向 is formed through a logical conceptual combination: the character 走 (zǒu), meaning "to walk" or "to go", is directly paired with 向 (xiàng), meaning "direction" or "toward". This creates a compound where the action of moving is fused with the notion of orientation, yielding a single concept that intrinsically means "the direction in which something proceeds" or "to head toward". It is a straightforward merger where the first character provides the action and the second provides its spatial or figurative target, forming a complete idea of directional movement or trend.