The Chinese word 耳机 (ěrjī) for "earphones" or "headphones" is a straightforward compound noun formed by combining two meaningful characters: 耳 (ěr), meaning "ear", and 机 (jī), meaning "machine" or "device". It follows a common grammatical structure in Mandarin where a noun (耳) modifies another noun (机) to specify its type or function, resulting in a literal translation of "ear device", a perfectly descriptive term for a personal audio apparatus worn on or over the ears.