The Chinese compound word "敷衍" is formed through a combination of its two constituent characters, each contributing to the overall meaning: "敷" (fū) primarily means "to spread out" or "to apply superficially," while "衍" (yǎn) means "to spread out," "to extend," or "to elaborate." When combined, the term originally described the act of spreading something thin, which evolved metaphorically to signify performing a task in a superficial, careless, or perfunctory manner—merely going through the motions without genuine effort or depth. This semantic shift illustrates how Chinese often creates abstract concepts from concrete visual actions, with the word now commonly used as a verb or adjective to describe half-hearted work or evasive, non-committal behavior.