The compound word "糊弄" is formed through the combination of two characters, "糊" (hú) and "弄" (nòng), which together create a meaning distinct from their individual senses. "糊" originally means to paste or to muddle, implying an act of covering up or making something superficially acceptable, while "弄" means to handle, play with, or fiddle with something. When combined, "糊弄" semantically merges these ideas to describe the action of dealing with a matter carelessly, deceiving someone through perfunctory effort, or "pasting over" the truth with a sloppy or dishonest handling of a situation, thus capturing a concept of bluffing or敷衍 (fūyǎn, perfunctoriness).