The word 猫头鹰 (māotóuyīng), meaning "owl", is a descriptive compound formed by combining three morphemes: 猫 (māo, "cat"), 头 (tóu, "head"), and 鹰 (yīng, "eagle" or "hawk"). It is constructed through semantic association, where 猫头 ("cat-head") vividly describes the owl's distinctive flat, round face with large forward-facing eyes, which is reminiscent of a feline's face, and this cat-headed creature is then classified as a type of bird of prey with the final morpheme 鹰. Thus, the entire compound functions as a metaphorical and literal description: "cat-headed eagle".