The word "憎恨" is formed through the meaningful combination of two individual characters, each contributing a layer of intense negative emotion. The first character, "憎" (zēng), carries the core meaning of loathing or detesting, often implying a deep-seated aversion. It is paired with "恨" (hèn), which signifies hatred, resentment, or regret. When compounded, they do not simply add together but merge and reinforce each other, creating a single, powerful concept of profound, abiding hatred that is both actively felt ("憎") and emotionally entrenched ("恨"). This formation is a classical example of how Chinese builds complex ideas by uniting characters with similar or complementary semantic fields to heighten and specify the overall meaning.