The word **嘲弄 (cháonòng)**, meaning "to mock" or "to ridicule," is formed through a standard Chinese lexical process known as **synonymous compounding**. It combines two characters with similar meanings: **嘲 (cháo)**, which means "to sneer at" or "to ridicule," and **弄 (nòng)**, which in this context carries the sense of "to play with" or "to tease." When paired, their semantic fields reinforce and refine each other, creating a single, more expressive verb that conveys the act of derisively toying with or making fun of someone, thus enhancing the nuance beyond what either character could convey alone.