The word 基督教徒 (Jīdū jiàotú), meaning "Christian," is formed through a logical, compounding structure common in Chinese: it begins with 基督 (Jīdū), the phonetic transliteration for "Christ"; adds 教 (jiào), meaning "religion" or "teaching," to form 基督教 (Jīdūjiào) or "Christianity"; and finally appends 徒 (tú), meaning "follower" or "disciple," to specify an adherent of that faith, thus creating the complete term for a follower of Christ.