Chinese Word Formation

Chinese word formation involves creating words through various methods, primarily using characters, which are the building blocks of the language. Characters often represent meanings or sounds and can combine to form new words. Key processes include compounding, where two or more characters merge to create a new term (e.g., “电话” meaning "telephone" from “电” for "electric" and “话” for "speech"), and derivation, where a character undergoes a change to form a new word. Additionally, some words borrow from foreign languages. This flexibility allows for a rich and evolving vocabulary in Chinese.