The term **作祟** (zuòsuì) is a compound word formed through semantic combination, where **作** means "to do" or "to act," and **祟** originally refers to a ghost or evil spirit that causes harm. Together, they create a verb meaning "to haunt" or "to cause trouble secretly," metaphorically describing how an unseen, malicious influence (like a ghostly force or hidden factor) is at work behind problems, disturbances, or misfortunes. This formation reflects a classical Chinese conceptual blending, attributing unexplained negative outcomes to supernatural or covert agency.