The word 请教 (qǐngjiào) is a compound verb formed through the combination of two semantic components: 请 (qǐng), meaning "to request" or "to invite," and 教 (jiào), meaning "to teach" or "to instruct." Together, they create a single term that literally means "to request teaching," which functions pragmatically as a polite and humble expression meaning "to consult" or "to ask for advice." This structure follows a common verb-verb pattern in Chinese where the first action (requesting) modifies the second action (teaching) to express a purposeful and respectful act of seeking knowledge or guidance from someone.