The Chinese word 墨水 (mòshuǐ), meaning "ink", is a compound noun formed through semantic combination. The first character, 墨 (mò), historically refers to the solid inkstick made from soot and glue, representing the core material. The second character, 水 (shuǐ), means "water", indicating the liquid medium into which the inkstick is ground. Thus, the term literally means "ink-water", efficiently describing the liquid substance produced by dissolving solid ink. This structure follows a common modifier-head pattern in Chinese, where 墨 modifies the type of 水, creating a precise and intuitive word for the prepared fluid used in writing and painting.