The Chinese word 统治者 (tǒngzhìzhě, meaning "ruler" or "governor") is a compound word formed through a common grammatical structure: the verb 统治 (tǒngzhì), meaning "to rule" or "to govern," is combined with the nominalizing suffix 者 (zhě), which denotes "a person who does" or "an agent." Therefore, the word literally and logically translates to "one who rules/governs," effectively creating an agent noun from an action verb.