The word 耍嘴皮子 is formed by combining the verb 耍 (shuǎ), meaning "to play" or "to wield", with the noun phrase 嘴皮子 (zuǐpízi), which literally refers to "lips" but figuratively denotes "talk" or "speech". This creates a verb-object structure where the literal action of "playing with the lips" idiomatically conveys the meaning of speaking glibly, engaging in empty talk, or being verbose without substance.