The Chinese word **卫兵 (wèibīng)**, meaning "guard" or "sentinel," is a compound noun formed by combining two meaningful characters: **卫 (wèi)**, which means "to guard" or "to defend," and **兵 (bīng)**, which means "soldier" or "military personnel." This follows a common modifier-head structure in Chinese word formation, where the first character **卫** describes the function or purpose, and the second character **兵** specifies the type of person. Thus, the compound literally translates to "a guarding soldier" or "defense soldier," succinctly capturing the concept of a military person whose primary duty is protection.