The word 实践 (shíjiàn) is a compound formed by combining two meaningful characters: 实 (shí), which means "real", "solid", or "actual", and 践 (jiàn), which means "to tread upon", "to fulfill", or "to carry out". Together, they create a conceptual compound where 实 provides the qualitative aspect of "real-world" or "concrete", and 践 contributes the dynamic action of "implementing" or "acting upon". Thus, the word semantically progresses from the realm of the actual (实) into the action of carrying it out (践), perfectly encapsulating the meaning of "practice" or "to put theory into practice".