The Chinese word 触发 (chùfā), meaning "to trigger" or "to activate", is a compound formed by combining two meaningful characters: 触 (chù), which means "to touch" or "to contact", and 发 (fā), which means "to send out", "to emit", or "to initiate". Together, they create a metaphorical and causal relationship, where the act of making contact (触) leads directly to the initiation or release of an action, change, or reaction (发), perfectly encapsulating the concept of one event setting another into motion.