The Chinese word "芭芭拉" is a phonetic loanword, formed through the process of transliteration to approximate the sounds of the foreign name "Barbara". It is constructed using three characters (芭 bā, 芭 bā, 拉 lā) selected primarily for their phonetic value, with little to no regard for their original semantic meanings (which are respectively "a kind of fragrant plant", repeated, and "to pull"). This method of word formation is standard in Chinese for adopting foreign names and terms, creating a new lexical item whose function is solely to represent the sound of the source word within the constraints of the Chinese syllabic system.