The word "遵义" is formed by combining the character "遵", meaning to follow, which is a phonetic-semantic compound with the semantic radical "辶" (related to movement) and the phonetic component "尊" indicating pronunciation, and the character "义", meaning righteousness, a simplified form of "義" that historically combined "羊" (sheep, symbolizing virtue) and "我" (self) to denote moral justice. Together, they create a compound meaning "to follow righteousness".