The Chinese word 脊椎 (jǐzhuī), meaning "spine" or "vertebral column", is formed through a logical compound structure where both characters contribute essential meaning: 脊 (jǐ) means "back" or "spine" in a general sense, referring to the dorsal ridge of the body, while 椎 (zhuī) specifically means "vertebra" or the individual bony segments. When combined, the term progresses from the general (the back/spine) to the specific (the vertebrae), creating a precise anatomical term that effectively means "the spine composed of vertebrae". This formation exemplifies a common Chinese word-construction method where two semantically related morphemes are joined to produce a more specific and concrete meaning.