The Chinese word for "one-third," 三分之一 (sān fēn zhī yī), is formed through a logical and literal grammatical structure that directly translates the mathematical operation of division into words: "三" (sān) means "three," "分" (fēn) means "to divide," "之" (zhī) is a classical possessive/connective particle meaning "of," and "一" (yī) means "one." Thus, the compound literally reads "three divided, of one," or more fluidly, "one part of three (equal divisions)," constructing the fraction from its denominator to its numerator in a fixed pattern used for all fractions (X分之Y = Y/X).