The Chinese word 登山 (dēngshān) is a verb-object compound formed by combining the verb 登 (dēng), meaning "to ascend" or "to climb," with the noun 山 (shān), meaning "mountain." This structure follows a common pattern in Chinese where an action is directly paired with its object, creating a concise term that literally means "to ascend a mountain" and is used for the activity of mountain climbing or hiking.