The word **反悔** is formed through the morphological process of compounding, combining two independent, meaningful characters: **反** (fǎn), meaning "to reverse," "to oppose," or "to turn over," and **悔** (huǐ), meaning "to regret" or "remorse." Together, they create a verb meaning "to go back on one's word" or "to renege," where **反** semantically modifies **悔** to indicate a reversal or taking back of a prior feeling of commitment or promise, thus conceptually forming "to regret in reverse" or "to take back one's regretful decision." This structure exemplifies a common [modifier + verb/result] pattern in Chinese word formation where the first element directs or specifies the action of the second.