The word 崇高 is formed through a classic Chinese lexical process called synonym compounding, where two characters with similar meanings are combined to create a new, more abstract, and intensified concept. The character 崇 (chóng) originally denotes "high" or "lofty" in a physical or metaphorical sense (like a mountain), while 高 (gāo) directly means "tall" or "high". When paired, their overlapping semantic fields of "height" reinforce each other, shifting the meaning from purely physical elevation to an abstract quality of moral, aesthetic, or spiritual loftiness, thus meaning "sublime", "noble", or "highly esteemed". This formation exemplifies how disyllabic words in Modern Chinese often evolve from monosyllabic Classical Chinese roots to express nuanced ideas.