The Chinese word **独白** is a compound formed by combining two characters: **独 (dú)**, meaning "alone" or "solitary," and **白 (bái)**, which in this context means "to speak," "to state," or "to explain." Literally, the combination translates to "speaking alone." It is a semantic compound where the meanings of the individual characters combine logically to create the term for a monologue or soliloquy—a speech by a single person, often in a theatrical or introspective context, expressing their inner thoughts aloud.