The Chinese word **药膏 (yàogāo)**, meaning "ointment" or "medicinal cream," is a compound noun formed through semantic combination. The first character, **药 (yào)**, means "medicine" or "drug," establishing the category and purpose. The second character, **膏 (gāo)**, denotes a thick, paste-like or creamy substance. When combined, the two morphemes create a single, transparent concept where the meaning of the whole is directly derived from its parts: a "medicinal paste." This structure exemplifies a common pattern in Chinese word formation where a modifier (药) is placed before a core noun (膏) to specify a particular type or subclass.