The Chinese word "手掌" is formed through a straightforward compound morphological process, combining two independent characters: "手" (shǒu), meaning "hand", and "掌" (zhǎng), meaning "palm" or "sole". In this compound noun, the first character "手" acts as a semantic classifier, specifying the general category (the hand), while the second character "掌" provides the specific referent (the flat, central part). Together, they create a precise term, "palm of the hand", where the relationship between the two morphemes is coordinative or attributive, with "hand" modifying "palm" to distinguish it from the sole of the foot (脚掌). This formation exemplifies a common pattern in Chinese for creating specific body part terminology.