The Chinese word **傀儡** (kuǐlěi), meaning "puppet" or "marionette" in both a literal and figurative (a person controlled by others) sense, is formed through the combination of two semantically related characters: **傀**, which on its own can imply something giant, strange, or unnatural, and **儡**, which specifically denotes a wooden figure or puppet. Together, they create a compound word where the whole meaning is more specific than the sum of its parts, evolving from its original reference to physical puppets used in theater to a potent metaphor for a powerless figurehead whose actions are entirely manipulated by an external controller.