The Chinese word **民宅** is formed through the process of **compounding**, combining two independent characters, each with its own meaning, to create a new, specific term. The first character, **民 (mín)**, means "the people," "civilians," or "folk." The second character, **宅 (zhái)**, means "residence" or "dwelling." When joined, **民宅** directly translates to "people's residence" and is used specifically to denote a **private civilian house or home**, distinguishing it from official, commercial, or public buildings. Its formation follows a common modifier-noun structure in Chinese, where "民" describes the type or ownership of the "宅," resulting in a concise term for a common, everyday concept.