The Chinese word 铅笔 (qiānbǐ), meaning "pencil", is formed by combining two characters: 铅, which denotes "lead" (the metal historically used in writing implements), and 笔, which means "pen" or "writing brush". This compound directly reflects the composition of early pencils, where a rod of lead was used for marking, thus creating a term that literally translates to "lead pen" to describe the tool.