The Chinese word 弹琴 is a compound verb-object phrase formed by combining the verb 弹 (tán), meaning "to pluck", "to play" (specifically with fingers, as on strings), with the noun 琴 (qín), a broad term for stringed instruments like the guqin or, by modern extension, the piano. Its formation follows a common grammatical structure in Chinese where a verb directly precedes its object to create a specific action meaning, literally "to pluck/play a stringed instrument". This lexicalization captures a general cultural activity into a fixed, commonly used term.