The Chinese word **斗殴** (dòu'ōu), meaning "to brawl" or "to engage in a physical fight," is a **synonymous compound** formed by combining two characters with similar meanings to create a single, more specific concept. The first character, **斗** (dòu), originally pictographic of two men clashing, means "to fight" or "to struggle." The second character, **殴** (ōu), means "to beat" or "to hit violently." When paired, they reinforce each other to explicitly denote a mutual, often disorderly and violent, physical altercation, with the combination being more formal and severe than either character alone.