The Chinese word **干细胞 (gànxìbāo)** for "stem cell" is a precise compound formed by combining **干 (gàn)**, meaning "trunk" or "main part" (metaphorically the core or source), with **细胞 (xìbāo)**, the standard term for "cell." Thus, it literally translates to "trunk cell" or "main cell," which conceptually parallels the English "stem cell" by evoking the idea of a primary, foundational cell from which other specialized cells branch and develop.