The Chinese word **候补 (hòubǔ)**, meaning "to be an alternate" or "to be a candidate for a vacancy," is a compound formed through the combination of two meaningful characters: **候 (hòu)**, which carries the core meaning of "to wait" or "to await," and **补 (bǔ)**, which means "to fill," "to supplement," or "to make up for a deficiency." When combined, the term logically describes the status or action of **"awaiting to fill a position"**—one is in a waiting list or reserve status, ready to supplement or replace a primary member if a vacancy occurs, such as in a committee, a ticket queue, or a candidate list. This formation is typical of modern Chinese vocabulary, where two independent morphemes are joined to create a new, semantically transparent compound word.