The word 敬畏 (jìngwèi) is a compound formed through the morphological process of coordinative (or parallel) combination, where two independent morphemes with related meanings are joined to create a new, unified concept. The first character, 敬 (jìng), carries the core meaning of "respect", "to revere", or "to honor", while the second character, 畏 (wèi), means "to fear" or "to be in awe of". When combined, their semantic fields merge and reinforce each other, producing the nuanced meaning of "awe" or "reverential fear", a profound feeling of respect mixed with a sense of dread or wonder, typically directed towards something vastly powerful, sublime, or sacred, such as nature, deities, or moral authority.