The Chinese word 上任 (shàngrèn), meaning "to take up an official post," is a verb-object compound formed through semantic combination. The first character, 上 (shàng), carries the core meaning of "to go up" or "to ascend," while the second character, 任 (rèn), means "appointment," "office," or "duty." When combined, the literal sense is "to ascend to an appointment," which figuratively and conventionally signifies the action of assuming a new position of authority, vividly capturing the notion of moving up into a role or responsibility.