The Chinese word 掏钱 (tāo qián) is a verb-object compound formed by combining the verb 掏 (tāo), meaning "to dig out," "to fish out," or "to pull out from a pocket or container," with the noun 钱 (qián), meaning "money." Its formation is both literal and metaphorical: it literally describes the physical action of reaching into a pocket or wallet to take out cash, which then extends idiomatically to the general act of paying for something or spending money. The word perfectly encapsulates a concrete action to represent an abstract financial transaction, making it a vivid and commonly used term in everyday speech.