The word "鞑虏" is formed by combining "鞑", a character historically referring to the Tatars, which itself is composed of the radical "革" (meaning leather) and the phonetic component "达", with "虏", meaning captive or enemy, composed of the radical "虍" (representing a tiger) and "力" (meaning strength); together, they create a compound term that denotes the Tatars as captives or enemies.