The Chinese word 活埋 (huómái), meaning "to bury alive", is a compound verb formed through the combination of two distinct characters: 活 (huó), meaning "alive" or "living", and 埋 (mái), meaning "to bury". It follows a standard grammatical structure in Chinese where an adverb (活) modifies a verb (埋), creating a vivid and specific verbal phrase that describes the manner of the action, in this case, the grim act of burying someone while they are still living. This formation is semantically transparent, as the meaning of the whole word is directly derived from the sum of its parts, exemplifying a common pattern in Chinese for creating descriptive and often dramatic terms.