The Chinese word 海豹 (hǎibào), meaning "seal" (the marine animal), is a logical semantic compound formed by combining the character 海 (hǎi), meaning "sea" or "ocean", with 豹 (bào), meaning "leopard". This construction vividly describes the animal by identifying its primary habitat ("sea") and evoking a key physical characteristic, its spotted coat, which is reminiscent of a leopard's fur. Thus, the term essentially means "sea leopard", creating an immediate and vivid image of a spotted creature of the ocean.