The Chinese word for South Africa, "南非" (Nánfēi), is formed through a straightforward compound structure common in Chinese toponymy: the first character "南" (nán) means "south", specifying the geographical location, and the second character "非" (fēi) is a established abbreviation for "非洲" (Fēizhōu), meaning "Africa". Therefore, the term is a direct semantic calque, literally translating to "South Africa", where the modifier ("south") precedes the root ("Africa") to specify the southern part of the African continent, mirroring the English name's logical construction.