The Chinese word **原形** is a compound formed by combining two meaningful characters: **原** (*yuán*), meaning "original," "source," or "primitive," and **形** (*xíng*), meaning "form," "shape," or "appearance." Together, they create a noun that literally translates to "original form" or "true shape." This term is most commonly used in the fixed phrase **原形毕露** (*yuánxíng bìlù*), meaning "to reveal one's true colors," where it metaphorically extends from a physical or archetypal form to denote the unmasked, often negative, fundamental nature or true identity of a person or thing that was previously concealed.