The word 忽悠 (hūyou) is a modern colloquial term formed through reduplication of the character 忽 (hū), which originally carries meanings related to "neglect" or "suddenness", but here draws from the archaic term 忽忽 (hūhū) describing a state of wavering or instability. This phonetic doubling creates a vivid, mimetic expression that evokes the image of something, or someone, swaying back and forth, which metaphorically extends to the act of deftly manipulating someone's thoughts or perceptions. Thus, its formation combines a reduplicative phonetic pattern with a semantic shift from physical wavering to psychological manipulation, popularly meaning to deceive, trick, or sweet-talk someone in a fluid, persuasive, and often deceptive manner.