The Chinese word **抛锚 (pāo máo)** is a vivid metaphorical compound formed by combining the verb **抛 (pāo)**, meaning "to throw" or "cast," with the noun **锚 (máo)**, meaning "anchor," to literally describe the nautical action of dropping a ship's anchor to bring it to a stop. This concrete meaning was then figuratively extended to describe any vehicle (like a car) breaking down and stopping unexpectedly, as if it had dropped anchor, and further generalized to signify any plan, project, or process stalling or coming to a halt, effectively capturing the idea of an abrupt, involuntary cessation through a familiar visual analogy.