The Chinese word 秘方 (mìfāng), meaning "secret recipe" or "secret formula", is a compound word formed through the combination of two meaningful characters: 秘 (mì), which means "secret" or "confidential", and 方 (fāng), which means "prescription", "method", or "formula". It is a modifier-head compound where the first character 秘 acts as an adjective modifying the second character 方, the core noun. Together, they semantically create a specific type of "formula" that is characterized by being secret, traditionally referring to a closely guarded recipe for medicine, cuisine, or a technical process passed down within families or select apprentices.