The Chinese word 妒忌 (dùjì), meaning "jealousy" or "envy", is a compound formed by combining two synonymous characters to reinforce and nuance the meaning. The first character, 妒 (dù), originally depicted a woman (女) in a household, conveying a sense of envy or resentment, particularly in a competitive context. The second character, 忌 (jì), carries meanings of hatred, resentment, and also a sense of taboo or caution. When paired together, these two characters create a binome where their semantic fields overlap and intensify, collectively expressing a profound feeling of jealous resentment, where 妒 emphasizes the covetous or begrudging aspect, and 忌 adds a layer of resentful aversion, making the term more powerful and specific than either character alone.