The word 表现 is formed by combining two characters, each contributing a layer of meaning to create a unified concept. The first character, 表, carries the core idea of the "surface", "exterior", or "to show forth", acting as the outward shell or manifestation. It is joined with 现, which means "to appear", "to reveal", or "to become visible", emphasizing the action of something internal coming into view. Together, they form a dynamic compound where 表 provides the notion of an external display, and 现 supplies the action of that display emerging into reality, thus conceptually painting the process of making inner qualities, skills, or behaviors outwardly apparent and observable.