The Chinese word **栽赃 (zāizāng)**, meaning "to frame someone" or "to plant false evidence," is formed through a vivid metaphorical combination of its two constituent characters: **栽 (zāi)**, which literally means "to plant" (as in planting a seed or seedling), and **赃 (zāng)**, which means "stolen goods" or "ill-gotten gains." Together, they create the conceptual image of **secretly "planting" incriminating objects (like stolen items) on or with an innocent person**, thereby constructing false evidence to implicate them in a crime they did not commit. This formation exemplifies a common pattern in Chinese where a concrete, physical action (栽) is applied to an abstract object (赃) to express a complex, underhanded social or legal maneuver.