The Chinese word **航海** (hánghǎi) is a compound word formed by combining two meaningful characters: **航** (háng), which means "to sail" or "to navigate," and **海** (hǎi), which means "sea" or "ocean." This is a classic example of a coordinative or synonymous compound in Chinese morphology, where both components contribute semantically to create a single, more specific concept. The first character, **航**, provides the action (navigation), and the second, **海**, specifies the domain (the sea). Together, they literally mean "to sail/navigate the sea," and by extension, refer to maritime voyage, navigation, or seafaring as a general activity or field.