The word "人们" is formed through a straightforward process of semantic compounding, where the singular base character "人" (rén), meaning "person" or "human", is combined with the plural suffix "们" (men), which denotes a group or collective. This creates a new, single lexical unit that conceptually represents a plurality of individuals, "people" or "folk", by directly attaching the general idea of multiplicity to the core concept of a human being.