The Chinese word 盟友 (méngyǒu), meaning "ally", is a compound noun formed through the combination of two meaningful characters: 盟 (méng), which signifies "alliance", "oath", or "pact", and 友 (yǒu), which means "friend". The term is constructed semantically, where the first character 盟 establishes the formal, sworn nature of the relationship, and the second character 友 defines the core bond as one of friendship and mutual support; together, they create a specific concept for a friend bound by a formal alliance, typically in political, military, or strategic contexts.