The word **摆布** (bǎibù) is a compound verb formed through the combination of two semantically similar characters: **摆** (bǎi), meaning "to arrange, to place, or to sway," and **布** (bù), meaning "to arrange, to deploy, or to spread." Together, they create a cohesive meaning that originally pertained to the physical act of arranging or laying out objects neatly. Over time, through metaphorical extension, the term evolved to acquire a more abstract and often negative sense of manipulating, controlling, or ordering someone about, implying that a person is being arranged like an object according to another's will. Thus, its formation exemplifies how Chinese compounds can blend concrete actions to express abstract concepts of influence and domination.