The Chinese word **后边 (hòubian)**, meaning "the back," "behind," or "the rear side," is a compound noun formed through a combination of its two constituent characters: **后 (hòu)**, which independently means "behind," "after," or "rear," and **边 (bian)**, a suffix that denotes "side" or "edge." When combined, the morpheme **后** provides the core directional meaning, while **边** grammaticalizes it into a specific, localized noun referring to a spatial area or side. This structure is common in Mandarin for forming方位词 (fāngwèicí) or location words, creating a term that functionally indicates a relative position (e.g., 在房子后边, "at the back of the house").