The word **班级** (bānjí) is formed through **compounding**, where two independent and meaningful characters are combined to create a new, more specific term. The first character, **班** (bān), originally referred to a "group" or "squad," while the second, **级** (jí), means "level" or "grade." When combined, they specify the concept of a "class" in an educational context, referring to a fixed group of students organized by grade or academic level within a school. This formation follows the common Chinese linguistic pattern where two related morphemes are joined to produce a precise, composite meaning that is more defined than either character alone.