The Chinese word **高利贷 (gāo lì dài)**, meaning "usury" or a "high-interest loan," is a compound term formed through semantic combination: **高 (gāo)** means "high," **利 (lì)** means "interest" or "profit," and **贷 (dài)** means "to loan" or "loan." Thus, the term literally and directly describes a "high-interest loan," where the components sequentially modify each other to specify the type of loan—one characterized by excessively high rates of interest, often with exploitative connotations.