The Chinese word 炭疽 (tànjū) for "anthrax" is a modern medical term formed through semantic compounding, where both characters contribute meaning to describe the disease's characteristics. 炭 (tàn) means "charcoal," alluding to the black, necrotic skin eschar characteristic of cutaneous anthrax, while 疽 (jū) denotes a "deep ulcer" or "gangrenous sore," a category of disease in traditional Chinese medicine. Thus, the term literally means "charcoal sore" or "charcoal ulcer," creating a vivid, descriptive name for the condition. This formation follows a common pattern in Chinese scientific terminology, where existing characters are combined to precisely denote a new concept, often as a calque or translation of the foreign medical term.