The word 投篮 (tóu lán) is a compound verb formed through a straightforward semantic combination: the first character, 投 (tóu), means "to throw" or "to cast", while the second character, 篮 (lán), is a shortened form of 篮球 (lánqiú), meaning "basketball", and specifically refers to the "basket" or hoop. Together, the term literally and logically describes the action of "throwing (the ball) into the basket", perfectly capturing the essential move in the sport of basketball. This formation is typical of modern Chinese, where two meaningful characters are combined to create a precise, action-oriented vocabulary item.