The Chinese word 被子 (bèizi), meaning "quilt" or "bedding", is a compound noun formed through semantic combination and morphological derivation. The first character, 被 (bèi), originally depicted a type of covering or quilt in ancient script and later grammaticized as a marker for the passive voice. The second character, 子 (zi), is a ubiquitous noun suffix that often nominalizes words, adds a sense of concreteness, or indicates a common object. When combined, 被 provides the core meaning of "to cover" or "covering", while 子 solidifies it as a tangible, everyday item, resulting in the specific meaning of a quilt, an object used for covering oneself while sleeping.