The word "伸张" is formed by combining the character "伸", meaning to stretch or extend, which itself is composed of the radical "亻" (person) and the phonetic-semantic component "申" (to express or extend), with the character "张", meaning to spread or stretch, composed of the radical "弓" (bow) and the component "长" (long). Together, their individual meanings of extending and spreading converge to form the compound verb meaning to uphold or promote, as in upholding justice.