The Chinese word 明信片 (míngxìnpiàn), meaning "postcard", is a compound formed through semantic combination: 明 (míng) means "bright" or "clear", 信 (xìn) means "letter" or "mail", and 片 (piàn) means "a flat piece" or "card". The term literally translates to "clear-letter card", which directly describes its function, a piece of correspondence (a card) whose message is written openly and visibly (明), without the concealment of an envelope, unlike a traditional sealed letter. This logical, descriptive formation is typical of many Chinese nouns, where meaningful characters are combined to create a new, transparent concept.