The word 刻意 is formed through the combination of two characters: 刻, which originally means "to carve" or "engrave" and metaphorically implies precision and depth, and 意, meaning "intention", "thought", or "meaning". Together, they create a compound word where the act of carving is applied figuratively to the mind, forming the concept of "deliberately", "painstakingly", or "with studied intent". It suggests an action or attitude that is carefully and consciously crafted, as if one were meticulously engraving their purpose, often with a connotation of being somewhat forced or unnecessarily meticulous.