The word 虚伪 is formed by combining two characters, each contributing a layer of meaning to create a single, cohesive concept. The first character, 虚 (xū), carries the core idea of "emptiness", "hollowness", or "that which is not real or true". The second character, 伪 (wěi), means "false", "fake", or "artificially made". When merged, they conceptually depict a state where a false or artificial front is presented to mask an inner emptiness or lack of genuine substance, thus defining the essence of "hypocrisy" or "insincerity" as a performative act of deception.