The word 值班 (zhíbān), meaning "to be on duty" or "to work a shift", is a compound formed by combining two meaningful characters: 值 (zhí), which means "to be on duty" or "to take a turn", and 班 (bān), which means "shift", "squad", or "scheduled period of work". Together, they create a verb-object relationship where 值 acts upon 班, literally conveying the action of "taking one's turn on a scheduled shift". This formation is typical of modern Chinese vocabulary, where two existing morphemes are combined to precisely denote a specific professional or routine activity.