The term **岳父** (yuèfù), meaning "father-in-law" (specifically wife's father), is formed through a historical and cultural metaphor: the character **岳** originally means "high mountain" or "peak," and was used in ancient times as an honorific title for high ministers or mountain deities, conveying a sense of grandeur and respect. When combined with **父** (fù, father), it creates a compound meaning "mountain-like father," a respectful appellation that elevates the status of the wife’s father within the familial hierarchy, reflecting traditional Confucian values of reverence for elders and the metaphorical "loftiness" of his position in the family structure.