The Chinese word **抱负 (bàofù)**, meaning "ambition" or "aspiration," is a compound formed by combining two morphemes with related meanings: **抱 (bào)**, which means "to embrace" or "to hold," and **负 (fù)**, which means "to bear" or "to carry on the back." Together, they create a vivid metaphorical image of "embracing and carrying a burden or responsibility," which semantically extended to represent the lofty ideals, ambitions, and life goals that a person willingly shoulders and is determined to achieve. This formation follows a common pattern in Chinese where two verbs or action-oriented characters are combined to express a more abstract, nominal concept.