The Chinese word 弱小 (ruòxiǎo) is a compound adjective formed by combining two independent, synonymous characters to create a stronger, more nuanced meaning. The first character, 弱 (ruò), means "weak" or "feeble", often referring to a lack of strength or power. The second character, 小 (xiǎo), means "small" or "little", typically referring to size or scale. When paired, they create a composite concept that means "weak and small", "puny", or "vulnerable", effectively describing something that is both physically insubstantial and lacking in strength or influence. This formation follows a common pattern in Chinese where two near-synonyms are combined to reinforce and specify a shared semantic field.