The Chinese word 球鞋 (qiúxié) is a compound noun formed by combining two meaningful characters: 球 (qiú), meaning "ball," and 鞋 (xié), meaning "shoe." It is a straightforward and descriptive construction where the first character specifies the purpose or context (for ball games/sports) and the second character denotes the object category (footwear). Together, they create a new, specific term meaning "sneakers" or "athletic shoes," literally translating to "ball shoes." This follows a common pattern in Mandarin for creating precise vocabulary by modifying a general noun with a functional attribute.