The Chinese word 引渡 (yǐndù), meaning "extradition," is a compound term formed by combining two characters: 引 (yǐn), which originally means "to lead" or "to draw," and 渡 (dù), meaning "to cross over" (as in crossing a river). Together, they create a metaphorical concept of "leading someone across" a boundary. Historically, this term was used in a more literal, geographical sense, but in modern legal and political context, it has been semantically specialized to refer specifically to the formal process by which one jurisdiction surrenders a person accused or convicted of a crime to another jurisdiction. Therefore, its formation follows a common pattern in Chinese where two meaningful characters are joined to produce a new, specific compound word whose meaning is derived from, but more precise than, the sum of its parts.