The word 次数 (cìshù), meaning "frequency" or "number of times", is a standard Mandarin compound formed through syntactic combination: the first character 次 (cì) carries the core meaning of "order", "sequence", or "time" (as in an occurrence), while the second character 数 (shù) means "number" or "count". When combined, they create a semantically transparent and logical compound where 数 quantifies the concept introduced by 次, effectively meaning "the number of times in a sequence" or "count of occurrences". This structure follows the common Chinese word-formation pattern of a modifier-head relationship, where 次 modifies the head 数 to specify the type of number being referred to.