The word 距离 is formed by combining two characters, 距 and 离, which both independently carry the core meaning of separation or space between. 距 originally refers to the space kept between objects (like chicken spurs keeping distance), emphasizing a measurable gap, while 离 fundamentally means "to leave" or "to be apart from", emphasizing the act or state of separation. When paired, they create a single, reinforced concept that abstractly represents the interval or space, whether physical, temporal, or metaphorical, that separates two points, entities, or moments.