The Chinese word "脱口秀" is formed by transliterating and semantically adapting the English term "talk show". The character "脱" (tuō) phonetically approximates "talk", while "口" (kǒu) means "mouth" to convey the speaking aspect. "秀" (xiù) directly transliterates "show" and carries the meaning of a performance, together creating a compound that denotes a talk-based entertainment program.