The Chinese word **小麦 (xiǎomài)**, meaning "wheat," is a compound noun formed through semantic combination, where **小 (xiǎo)** means "small" and **麦 (mài)** is a generic character for "grain" or "cereal." Historically, this term arose to distinguish wheat from other major grains like barley, which was called **大麦 (dàmài)** or "big grain," based on the relative size of their kernels or perhaps their historical culinary roles. Thus, the literal "small grain" specifically identifies common wheat, showcasing a common Chinese word-formation method where a descriptive modifier clarifies a broader category.