The Chinese word 即兴 (jíxìng), meaning "to improvise" or "impromptu", is a compound formed through semantic combination. The first character 即 (jí) carries the core meaning of "at once", "immediate", or "promptly". The second character 兴 (xìng) in this context means "mood", "interest", or "rising excitement". Therefore, the term literally conveys the idea of an artistic or expressive act that arises "immediately from one's current mood or inspiration", perfectly capturing the essence of spontaneous, unplanned creation, such as in 即兴表演 (jíxìng biǎoyǎn, an improvised performance).