晕车 (yùnchē), meaning “motion sickness” or specifically “carsickness,” is a compound word composed of:

• 晕 (yūn): This character originally depicted a swirling cloud pattern. It evolved to represent dizziness, fainting, or a loss of consciousness. This relates to the feeling of disorientation and nausea associated with motion sickness.

• 车 (chē): This is a pictograph of a vehicle with two wheels, and it broadly represents any mode of transportation, although most commonly a car in modern usage.

Therefore, the original structure of 晕车 literally paints a picture of “dizziness in a vehicle.” It combines the visual imagery of swirling clouds (representing the feeling of dizziness) with the concept of a vehicle, resulting in the specific meaning of motion sickness experienced while traveling.

This example demonstrates how Chinese characters often combine concrete imagery with abstract concepts to create new meanings.