The word 宣称 is formed by combining two characters, each contributing its core meaning to create a new, unified concept. The first character, 宣 (xuān), carries the fundamental idea of "to declare" or "to proclaim publicly". The second character, 称 (chēng), adds the essential meaning of "to state" or "to say". Their combination is not merely additive but synergistic, where 宣 provides the sense of a public or formal context, and 称 supplies the specific action of verbal expression, resulting in the integrated meaning of "to openly assert" or "to formally proclaim".