The Chinese word for "comet", 彗星 (huìxīng), is a compound word formed through descriptive logic: the first character 彗 means "broom", and the second character 星 means "star". This formation originates from ancient astronomical observations, where the celestial object's bright head and long, sweeping tail visually resembled a broom sweeping across the night sky, leading to the vivid and enduring name "broom-star".