The Chinese word 僧侣 (sēnglǚ), meaning "monks" or "the clergy," is a compound formed by combining two semantically related characters: 僧 (sēng), which is a common shorthand for a Buddhist monk (derived from the Sanskrit *sangha*, meaning monastic community), and 侣 (lǚ), which means "companion" or "partner." Together, they create a binome where 侣 amplifies and collectivizes the meaning of 僧, transforming the concept from an individual "monk" to the broader, communal idea of "monastic companions" or the monastic order as a whole. This structure is a classic example of a coordinative compound, where two elements of similar meaning are joined to express a more general or nuanced collective term.