The Chinese word 泥土 is a compound formed by combining two characters with closely related meanings: 泥 (ní), meaning "mud" or "mire", and 土 (tǔ), meaning "soil" or "earth". This is an example of a coordinative compound, where both elements contribute similar semantic content to create a single, more nuanced concept. Together, they refer specifically to the moist, soft, and often fertile earth or soil, emphasizing its tangible, earthy substance more than the broader, more abstract term 土 alone would.