The word 投降 is formed through the conceptual combination of two actions that sequentially depict the act of surrender. The first character, 投 (tóu), carries the core meaning of "to throw" or "to cast", implying the physical action of throwing down one's weapons. The second character, 降 (xiáng), means "to submit" or "to yield". When joined, they create a vivid mental image of the process: one first casts down their arms (投) and then submits (降) to the authority of another, perfectly encapsulating the complete idea of surrender in a logical, action-driven sequence.