The Chinese word 秋季 (qiūjì), meaning "autumn" or "fall", is a compound noun formed through semantic combination. It consists of the character 秋 (qiū), which independently means "autumn" or "harvest time", and 季 (jì), meaning "season". When combined, the term literally translates to "autumn season", where 秋 specifies the particular time of year and 季 categorizes it within the cycle of four seasons, resulting in a precise and commonly used term for the season following summer.