The Chinese word 西瓜 (xīguā), meaning "watermelon," is a compound formed through logical semantic construction: the character 西 (xī) means "west," and 瓜 (guā) means "melon" or "gourd." It is historically named for its geographical origin, as the fruit was introduced to China from Central Asia (conceptually the "western regions") during the era of the Silk Road, distinguishing it from native melons. The word thus literally translates to "western melon," illustrating a common Chinese naming pattern where a place of origin is combined with a general category to create a specific term.