The word 顺从 (shùncóng) is formed through the combination of two semantically similar characters that reinforce a shared concept of compliance. The first character, 顺 (shùn), originally picturing flowing water, carries the core meaning of "to follow along," "to obey," or "to be smooth." The second character, 从 (cóng), is a pictograph of one person following another, meaning "to follow" or "to obey." When compounded, these two morphemes create a coordinative, or parallel, compound where each part amplifies the other, resulting in the comprehensive meaning of "to be obedient," "to submit to," or "to defer to," denoting a state or action of willingly following the will or authority of another.