The Chinese word **大理石** (dàlǐshí), meaning "marble," is a compound term formed through semantic combination, where **大理** (Dàlǐ) refers to the Dali region in Yunnan province, historically famed for its high-quality marble, and **石** (shí) means "stone." Thus, the term literally translates to "Dali stone," exemplifying a common Chinese word-formation strategy of combining a place name with a material name to designate a specific variety, where the place name acts as a modifier specifying the type or origin of the stone. Over time, the meaning has generalized to refer to the material marble regardless of its geographical source.