The Chinese word 惭愧 (cánkuì), meaning "ashamed" or "remorseful", is a compound formed by combining two semantically similar characters that reinforce each other. The first character, 惭 (cán), denotes a sense of shame or embarrassment arising from a personal shortcoming, while the second, 愧 (kuì), conveys a deeper feeling of guilt or remorse over having wronged others or failed a moral standard. Together, they create a nuanced term that expresses a profound, inwardly focused sense of shame that is both self-directed and socially conscious, often implying a moral failing and a desire to make amends. This formation is a classic example of a synonymous binome, where two characters with related meanings are paired to strengthen and specify the overall concept.