The Chinese word 十六 (shí liù, meaning "sixteen") is formed through a logical and consistent numeral construction common in Mandarin, where the base number 十 (ten) is combined with the unit 六 (six) to denote the value of ten plus six. This additive structure follows the standard pattern for numbers from 11 to 19, where 十 acts as the decade marker followed by the digit, directly translating to "ten six" and clearly representing the sum of its parts within the language's decimal system.