The Chinese word 浣熊 (huànxióng) for "racoon" is a semantic compound formed by combining the character 浣 (huàn), meaning "to wash" or "rinse", with 熊 (xióng), meaning "bear". This construction directly references the animal's most observed and distinctive behavior, its habit of dipping and manipulating food in water, which appears similar to washing, while comparing its physical form and stature to that of a bear, thus creating a vivid, descriptive term meaning "washing bear".