The Chinese word for "currency", 货币 (huòbì), is a compound term formed by combining two semantically related characters: 货 (huò), which originally meant "valuable goods", "property", or "commodities", and 币 (bì), which historically referred to "silks" used as ceremonial gifts or, by extension, "valuable objects" used in exchange. Over time, 币 evolved to specifically mean "money" or "coin". Thus, the compound 货币 literally conveys the concept of "goods-money" or "commodity-currency", effectively capturing the essential function of money as a medium of exchange for goods and services, and reflecting its evolution from tangible, valuable objects into a generalized monetary system.