The word **初期 (chūqī)**, meaning "initial stage" or "early period," is a compound formed by combining two meaningful characters: **初 (chū)**, which means "beginning" or "early," and **期 (qī)**, which means "period" or "phase." It is a standard **modifier-head** construction in Chinese, where the first character **初** modifies and specifies the type of the second character **期**, literally creating the meaning "beginning period." This logical and semantic combination is a fundamental method of word formation in Chinese, resulting in a term that precisely denotes the earliest phase of a timeframe or process.