The Chinese conjunction "虽说" (suīshuō), meaning "although" or "even though", is formed through lexicalization, where two independent characters combine into a fixed, inseparable unit. The first character, "虽" (suī), is a classical and formal term for "although", establishing the core concessive meaning. It is paired with "说" (shuō), which literally means "to say" or "speak". This combination originally carried a more literal sense of "although one says"... but over time, the verb "说" lost its concrete lexical meaning and instead added a colloquial, softening, or explanatory tone to the conjunction. Thus, "虽说" functions as a single grammatical marker for introducing a concessive clause, with its formation reflecting a common pattern in Chinese where a concrete verb is appended to a classical function word to create a more idiomatic and conversational adverb or conjunction.