The Chinese word **誓词** (shìcí, meaning "oath" or "pledge") is a compound noun formed through semantic combination. The first character, **誓** (shì), means "to vow" or "to swear," carrying the core concept of a solemn promise. The second character, **词** (cí), means "words" or "speech." When combined, they create a "head-modifier" structure where **词** (words) is the head, and **誓** (vow) specifies its type; thus, the compound literally means "vow-words" or "the words of a pledge," referring to the formal, verbalized statement of an oath.