The word 赞扬 (zànyáng), meaning "to praise" or "to commend", is a classic example of a synonym compound in Chinese, formed by combining two characters with similar meanings to create a single, reinforced concept. The first character, 赞 (zàn), originally implied "to help" or "support", evolving to mean "to praise" or "approve". The second character, 扬 (yáng), means "to raise", "to uplift", or "to spread", and by extension, "to praise publicly". When paired, they create a nuanced term that emphasizes the act of lifting someone up through positive affirmation, resulting in a stronger and more expressive verb than either character alone.