The Chinese word 连锁 (liánsuǒ) is a compound term formed through semantic combination, where the character 连 means "to link" or "connect", and 锁 means "lock" or "chain". Together, they create a vivid metaphor of objects being "linked like a chain", where the concept of 锁 (chain/lock) provides the concrete image and 连 (to connect) provides the action, collectively giving rise to the abstract meaning of "interconnectedness" or "chain reaction". This formation is typical of modern Chinese terminology, where two meaningful characters are joined to express a new, often metaphorical, concept, such as a chain of stores (连锁店) or a chain of events.