The Chinese word **甘油 (gānyóu)** for "glycerol" or "glycerin" is a straightforward **descriptive compound** formed by combining two meaningful characters: **甘 (gān)**, meaning "sweet," and **油 (yóu)**, meaning "oil" or "fat." It is a direct calque, or literal translation, of the early Western term "glycerine," which itself originates from the Greek *glykys* (sweet) due to the compound's sweet taste and its chemical relationship to oils and fats (as it is a sugar alcohol derived from lipids). Thus, the term efficiently describes the substance's key sensory property (sweetness) and its material origin or consistency (oily).