The Chinese word **紧跟 (jǐn gēn)** is a compound verb formed through **morphological compounding**, where two independent characters, each with their own meaning, are combined to create a new, specific term. The first character, **紧 (jǐn)**, means "tight" or "close," conveying the notion of proximity and immediacy. The second character, **跟 (gēn)**, is a verb meaning "to follow." When combined, the literal "tightly follow" yields the metaphorical meaning "to follow closely," whether in a physical, temporal, or ideological sense, describing an action of adhering without delay or distance.