The Chinese word **黄瓜** (huángguā), meaning "cucumber," is a compound word formed through descriptive modification: the first character **黄** (huáng) means "yellow," referring to the ripe color the vegetable turns, and the second character **瓜** (guā) means "melon" or "gourd," indicating its botanical family. Thus, the term literally translates to "yellow melon," a name derived from the observation that the fruit matures to a yellowish hue, even though it is typically harvested and consumed while still green (when it is sometimes called **青瓜**, qīngguā, or "green melon").