The word 迟到 is formed by combining two characters: 迟, which means "late" or "slow", and 到, which means "to arrive" or "to reach". When placed together, they create a direct and logical concept of "late arrival", where the first character describes the state or manner (late) and the second character specifies the action (arriving). It is a straightforward compound where the meaning is essentially the sum of its parts, picturing the act of coming to a place after the expected or proper time.