The word 审问 (shěnwèn) is formed through a logical and conceptual combination of its two component characters: 审, which carries the core meaning of examining, investigating, or scrutinizing details, and 问, which means to ask or to question. The formation represents not just two actions listed side-by-side, but a specific and intensified process where the act of questioning (问) is fundamentally deepened and made formal by the preliminary and ongoing act of careful examination (审). It creates a composite concept where questioning is the method, but systematic scrutiny is the essential framework, resulting in the unified meaning of "to interrogate" or "to conduct an official inquiry".