The Chinese compound word **算命** is formed through a classic verb-object grammatical structure, combining the character **算** (*suàn*), meaning "to calculate" or "to reckon," with the character **命** (*mìng*), meaning "fate," "destiny," or "life." Literally, it means "to calculate fate," where the first character denotes the action and the second character is the object of that action. This semantically transparent combination directly describes the practice of fortune-telling or predicting one's future through various methods, such as divination or astrology.