The word **腔调** is a compound formed by combining two distinct but related characters: **腔**, which originally means "cavity" (like the oral or nasal cavity) and by extension refers to "accent" or "tone of voice," and **调**, which means "tune," "melody," or "to modulate." Together, they create a meaning that extends from the literal "tone and tune" or "accent and intonation" of one's speech or singing to a much broader, figurative sense. This figurative sense encompasses a person's distinctive style, manner, attitude, or overall "vibe"—often implying a conscious or cultivated demeanor that carries cultural or social resonance, such as having a sophisticated, traditional, arrogant, or regionally characteristic air about how one speaks, behaves, or presents oneself. Thus, the formation moves from concrete physiological and musical components to an abstract, expressive concept of personal or cultural style.