The word 毛衣 (máoyī) is formed by directly combining two meaningful characters: 毛 (máo), which means "fur" or "hair", and 衣 (yī), which means "clothing". It is a literal, conceptual compound where the first element describes the material (wool/hair) and the second element names the general category of object (garment). Thus, the term visually and logically builds the meaning "hair garment", which corresponds to the everyday understanding of a "sweater" or "woolen sweater".