The Chinese word 拥挤 (yōng jǐ), meaning "crowded", is a compound word formed by combining two synonymous characters, each contributing to the overarching concept of congestion. The first character, 拥 (yōng), carries the core meaning of "to crowd around" or "to gather", suggesting a multitude of people or things collected in one place. It is paired with 挤 (jǐ), which means "to squeeze" or "to push", directly implying pressure, tightness, and a lack of space. Together, they create a vivid, reinforced image where the idea of a gathering (拥) is intensified by the sense of compression and jostling (挤), perfectly encapsulating the state of being densely packed and uncomfortable. This formation follows a common pattern in Chinese where two characters with similar or related meanings are combined to express a single, more nuanced idea.