The Chinese word 作曲 (zuòqǔ), meaning "to compose music," is formed through a logical verb-object compound structure: the first character 作 (zuò) means "to make" or "to create," and the second character 曲 (qǔ) means "melody" or "tune." When combined, they literally describe the action of "creating a melody," which precisely captures the essence of musical composition. This formation is typical of modern Chinese, where two meaningful characters are joined to create a new, specific term that is transparent in its compositional logic.