The word 抗议 (kàngyì), meaning "to protest", is formed by combining two independent characters, each contributing a core meaning to create a new, composite concept. The first character, 抗 (kàng), carries the meaning of "to resist" or "to oppose". The second character, 议 (yì), means "opinion", "discussion", or "view". When merged, the word conceptually portrays the act of opposing a viewpoint or resisting (抗) a specific opinion or proposition (议), thus encapsulating the idea of a formal objection or protest.