The Chinese word 虚假 (xūjiǎ), meaning "false" or "fake", is a synonym compound formed by combining two characters with closely related meanings to create a single, reinforced concept. The first character, 虚 (xū), carries the core ideas of emptiness, void, or a lack of truth/substance. The second, 假 (jiǎ), directly means false, forged, or artificial. By pairing these two synonyms, the word emphasizes and intensifies the notion of something being not just untrue, but fundamentally insubstantial, deceptive, and contrary to reality, covering a broader semantic range than either character alone.