The word 摔跤 is formed by combining two characters that each depict a key physical action of the sport: 摔 means "to throw down" or "to fall", and 跤 specifically means "a stumble" or "a fall involving the legs". Together, they create a direct, almost mimetic representation of the sport's essential motion, the grappling and throwing of an opponent to the ground, making the term itself a vivid, action-based description of the activity it names.