The Chinese word 畏惧 (wèijù), meaning "to fear" or "to dread", is formed through a classic lexical process known as synonym compounding. It combines two independent, ancient characters with closely related meanings: 畏 (wèi), which originally depicted a ghostly figure and conveys a sense of awe, dread, or intimidation, and 惧 (jù), which signifies fear, anxiety, or alarm. By pairing these two synonyms, the compound word 畏惧 creates a stronger, more nuanced, and formal expression of fear that encompasses both the visceral fright (惧) and the profound, reverential dread (畏), enhancing the semantic depth and rhetorical weight compared to using either character alone.