The word "扑克" (pūkè) for "poker" (the card game) is formed through a process of phonetic borrowing from English. The characters were chosen primarily for their sound, "扑" approximates "po" and "克" approximates "ker", to mimic the English word "poker". Additionally, the first character "扑", which can mean "to pounce on" or "fling oneself at", was likely selected to subtly suggest the active, competitive nature of the card game, adding a very loose semantic hint to an otherwise sound-based construction.