The Chinese word 白蚁 (báiyǐ), meaning "termite," is a compound noun formed through a straightforward morphological process common in the language. It combines the independent character 白 (bái), meaning "white," with the character 蚁 (yǐ), meaning "ant," to create a new, specific term. This is an example of a modifier-head structure, where 白 describes the characteristic color of the insect, and 蚁 specifies the core category of creature, resulting in the literal and descriptive translation "white ant," which accurately reflects the insect's pale, ant-like appearance.