The Chinese word **渡轮** (dùlún) is a compound noun formed by combining two meaningful characters: **渡** (dù), which means "to cross (a body of water)" or "to ferry," and **轮** (lún), which means "wheel" but is commonly used to mean "steamship" or "liner" (as in 轮船, lúnchuán, meaning "ship"). Together, they create a precise term where **渡** specifies the function (ferrying across) and **轮** specifies the vehicle type (a wheeled vessel or ship), thus directly and logically forming the word for "ferry" or "ferry boat." This structure is typical in Mandarin for creating clear, descriptive compound words.