The Chinese word 中文 (Zhōngwén), meaning "Chinese language", is formed through the combination of two characters: 中 (Zhōng), which signifies "China" or "Chinese", and 文 (wén), which denotes "language", "writing", or "culture". Together, they create a compound word that literally translates to "Chinese writing/language", specifically referring to the standard written and spoken form of the language. This formation follows the common Chinese linguistic pattern where a modifier (中) specifies the type or origin of the noun (文).