The term **朝圣 (cháoshèng)** is a compound word formed by combining the characters **朝 (cháo)**, meaning "to pay homage to" or "to make a court visit to" (implying a journey towards authority or sanctity), and **圣 (shèng)**, meaning "holy" or "sacred." Together, they create a concept literally meaning "to pay homage to the sacred," which semantically evolved to specifically denote the act of **pilgrimage**—a journey, often over long distances, undertaken by a believer to a sacred place or shrine as an act of religious devotion and spiritual significance. The formation perfectly encapsulates the physical journey (**朝**) toward a holy objective (**圣**).