The Chinese word 恭维 (gōngwéi), meaning "to flatter" or "to compliment (often insincerely)", is a compound term formed through semantic combination. The first character, 恭 (gōng), carries the core meaning of "respectful" or "reverent", while the second, 维 (wéi), originally means "to tie" or "to uphold". Historically, 维 was used in classical texts as a grammatical particle or to signify "maintaining" a state. Thus, when combined, 恭维 conceptually evokes the idea of "upholding respect" or "maintaining reverent speech", which over time semantically narrowed to specifically denote the act of offering praise, often with an implied sense of formality or superficiality that distinguishes it from genuine admiration.