The Chinese word **船只** (chuánzhī) is a **compound noun** formed through a common morphological process where a specific noun (船, meaning "boat" or "ship") is combined with its associated **general measure word** (只, a classifier for vessels). In this construction, the measure word 只 does not quantify but instead acts to generalize and categorize, transforming the specific term "船" into the broader, more collective concept of "watercraft" or "vessels." Thus, 船只 functions as a single lexical unit referring to ships or boats in a general sense, showcasing how Chinese can create abstract or collective nouns by pairing a concrete noun with its classifier.