The word 恶搞 is formed by combining the character 恶 (è), meaning "evil" or "malicious", with the character 搞 (gǎo), meaning "to do" or "to make". Together, they create a compound where 恶 modifies 搞, indicating an action that is deliberately mischievous, parodying, or humorously distorting, thus giving the term its meaning of "spoof" or "prankish manipulation".