The Chinese word **合金** (*héjīn*, meaning "alloy") is a compound word formed through semantic combination, where the morpheme **合** (*hé*, meaning "to combine, join, or mix") modifies the morpheme **金** (*jīn*, meaning "metal"). Structurally, it follows a **modifier-head** pattern (similar to "verb-object" or "resultative"), where 合 describes the action performed upon 金, effectively meaning "combined metal." This formation logically and transparently conveys the core scientific concept of an alloy as a substance created by fusing two or more metallic elements.