拼接 (pīn jiē) means 'to join, piece together, or splice' — it specifically refers to connecting separate pieces, edges, or surfaces to form a continuous whole (e.g., metal plates, photo stitching). It is more concrete and physical than 拼 (pīn 'to piece together'), which also has an abstract, risk-taking sense; 组装 (zǔ zhuāng 'to assemble') involves fitting multiple components into a functional object, while 拼接 emphasizes seamless joining of edges.