The Chinese word 放慢 (fàngmàn), meaning "to slow down," is formed through a logical and common grammatical construction in Mandarin known as a resultative verb compound. It combines the verb 放 (fàng), which means "to release," "to let go," or "to put," with the adjective 慢 (màn), meaning "slow." In this structure, the first character (放) indicates the action, and the second character (慢) describes the result or state achieved by that action. Therefore, 放慢 literally conveys the idea of "to release (or let go) into a state of slowness," effectively meaning to cause something to become slower or to decelerate.