The Chinese phrase "照镜子" is formed through a straightforward verb-object grammatical structure, where the verb "照" (zhào), meaning "to shine light upon" or "to illuminate," is combined with the object "镜子" (jìngzi), meaning "mirror." Literally, it translates as "to shine a mirror" or "to illuminate with a mirror," but its functional and idiomatic meaning is "to look at oneself in a mirror." This construction is semantically transparent, deriving its common sense from the literal action of using a mirror for self-reflection, and it can also be used metaphorically to describe introspection or self-examination.