The Chinese word **半岛** (bàndǎo), meaning "peninsula," is a straightforward **compound word** formed by combining two individual characters: **半** (bàn), meaning "half," and **岛** (dǎo), meaning "island." It is a classic example of a semantic compound in Chinese, where the meaning of the whole word is a logical combination of the meanings of its parts. Literally, it translates to "half-island," which perfectly describes the geographical feature—a landmass that is almost entirely surrounded by water but connected to a larger mainland on one side, thus being "half" an island. This method of word formation is common in Chinese for creating precise, descriptive terms.