伐木 literally combines 伐 (fá), meaning 'to attack' or 'to cut down'—often used in formal or literary contexts—and 木 (mù), meaning 'tree' or 'wood'. Together, 伐木 means 'to cut down trees', typically referring to logging or timber harvesting. It is a formal, somewhat literary verb and is rarely used in casual speech; native speakers more commonly say 砍树 (kǎn shù) in everyday situations.

The term appears frequently in environmental discussions, forestry reports, and policy documents, especially when describing large-scale tree removal. It carries neutral or slightly negative connotations depending on context—e.g., sustainable 伐木 versus illegal or destructive 伐木. As a compound verb, it functions as a single unit and takes standard aspect particles like 了 (le) or 过 (guò) directly after the whole word (e.g., 伐木了, 伐过木).