The Chinese word **矿泉水** (kuàngquán shuǐ), meaning "mineral water," is a logical compound formed by combining three characters: **矿** (kuàng), meaning "mineral" or "ore," **泉** (quán), meaning "spring" (as in a natural water source), and **水** (shuǐ), meaning "water." It is structured as a modified noun phrase where **矿** modifies **泉** to specify the type of spring ("mineral spring"), and this compound then modifies **水** to specify the type of water ("water from a mineral spring"). Thus, it transparently describes its meaning through its components, reflecting a common pattern in Chinese where new terms are created by combining existing meaningful characters. The term gained its modern bottled-water connotation in the 20th century, adapting this traditional concept to a commercial product.