The word **贪污 (tānwū)**, meaning "to embezzle" or "to engage in corruption," is a compound word formed by combining two meaningful characters: **贪 (tān)**, which means "greed" or "avarice," and **污 (wū)**, which means "dirty," "filthy," or "corrupt." Together, they create a logical semantic compound where "greed" leads to or manifests as "corrupt/dirty" behavior, specifically the misuse of public office or trusted position for illicit personal gain. This formation is typical of modern Chinese lexical structure, where two succinct morphemes are joined to precisely denote a complex concept, in this case, the act of corruption through embezzlement or bribery.