The word 手帕 (shǒupà), meaning "handkerchief," is a compound noun formed through semantic combination, where both characters contribute to the overall meaning. The first character, 手 (shǒu), means "hand," indicating the object's primary association or use. The second character, 帕 (pà), signifies a piece of cloth or a scarf. Therefore, the compound logically denotes a "hand-cloth," perfectly describing its function as a small square of fabric carried and used with the hands. This formation follows a common modifier-noun structure in Chinese, where 手 modifies the type of 帕.