The Chinese word **动画** (dònghuà) for "animation" is a logical compound formed by combining the character **动** (dòng), meaning "to move" or "movement," with **画** (huà), meaning "picture" or "drawing." It is a modern compound noun that follows the common Chinese linguistic pattern of [verb + object] or [modifier + head], where the first element describes the action applied to the second. Literally translating to "moving pictures," it perfectly and succinctly captures the essence of the art form by synthetically describing pictures that are brought to life through motion.