The Chinese word **惨剧** (cǎnjù) is a compound noun formed by combining the morpheme **惨** (cǎn), meaning "tragic," "miserable," or "cruel," with the morpheme **剧** (jù), meaning "drama," "play," or "intense situation." In this construction, **惨** acts as a modifier describing the nature of the **剧**, resulting in the combined meaning of a "tragedy" or "disastrous event." It follows a common Mandarin word-formation pattern where an adjective (or stative verb) modifies a noun to create a new, specific concept, semantically akin to "a drama of misery" or "a tragic play," which extends metaphorically to real-life calamities.