The Chinese word **赡养费 (shànyǎng fèi)**, meaning "alimony" or "maintenance payments," is formed through semantic composition, where each character contributes to the overall meaning: **赡 (shàn)** means "to support financially," **养 (yǎng)** means "to nourish" or "to provide for," and together as the compound **赡养** they create the specific verb "to support (especially one's elders or dependents)." The final character **费 (fèi)** means "fee" or "expense," so the entire term **赡养费** literally translates to "the fee for providing support," logically referring to the mandatory payments made to support a family member, typically after a divorce or for elderly care.