The word 扬鞭 is formed by combining the character 扬, which functions as a verb meaning "to raise" or "to brandish", with the character 鞭, which acts as a noun meaning "whip". This creates a verb-object compound where the action of raising directly applies to the whip, resulting in the literal meaning "to raise the whip", typically used to describe the act of whipping or spurring on a horse.