The Chinese word 灰烬 (huījìn), meaning "ashes" or "cinders," is a compound formed by combining two semantically related characters: 灰, which originally depicted a hand manipulating a burning object and means "ash" or "dust," and 烬, which contains the "fire" radical (火) and specifically denotes the residual embers or combustible remains after a fire. Together, they create a binominal compound where both components reinforce and specify the concept of the fine, consumed residue left after complete combustion, with 烬 acting as a clarifying term for the residual state of the 灰 (ash). This formation follows a common pattern in Chinese where two near-synonyms are paired to express a single, precise meaning.