The Chinese word 肤浅 is formed as a compound of two characters, each contributing to its overall meaning. The first character, 肤 (fū), literally means "skin" or "surface", while the second, 浅 (qiǎn), means "shallow". When combined, they create a metaphorical meaning that extends beyond the physical, describing ideas, understanding, or analysis that lack depth, being merely "skin-deep" or superficial. This formation follows a common pattern in Chinese where two synonyms or related-meaning characters are paired to emphasize and refine an abstract concept, resulting in an adjective that critiques something for not penetrating beneath the surface.