The Chinese word 消极 (xiāojí), meaning "negative", "passive", or "inactive", is a semantic compound formed by combining two meaningful characters: 消 (xiāo), which carries connotations of "dissipating", "disappearing", or "weakening", and 极 (jí), which means "extreme" or "pole". Together, they create a metaphorical meaning of "diminishing toward the negative extreme", conceptually describing an attitude or force that is not proactive or constructive. This formation is typical of modern Chinese, where two existing morphemes are joined to express a new, often abstract, concept that relates to the combined essence of its parts.