The word 演讲 (yǎnjiǎng, meaning "to give a speech") is formed through a logical semantic combination of its two component characters. The first character, 演 (yǎn), carries meanings of "to perform", "to demonstrate", or "to develop", suggesting a presented or performed action. The second character, 讲 (jiǎng), means "to speak" or "to explain". When combined, the concept is not merely speaking, but a formal, structured, and often public act of speaking, a performance of spoken words. Thus, the formation visually and conceptually merges the idea of a performance (演) with speaking (讲) to create the specific meaning of delivering a formal address or lecture.