The Chinese word **橡皮 (xiàngpí)**, meaning "eraser," is a compound word formed through semantic combination, where **象 (xiàng)** means "elephant" and **皮 (pí)** means "skin." It originated as a descriptive term for early eraser materials made from natural rubber, which was likened in texture or origin to the tough, pliable hide of an elephant. Over time, the literal meaning faded, and the compound solidified as the standard term for the object, demonstrating how Chinese often creates new words by metaphorically combining existing characters to describe a novel item's properties or appearance.