The Chinese word **调料** (tiáoliào), meaning "seasoning" or "condiment," is a compound noun formed through a logical semantic combination of two individual characters: **调** (tiáo), which means "to mix," "to blend," or "to adjust," and **料** (liào), which means "ingredient" or "material." Together, they create a **verb-object relationship** where 调 acts upon 料, literally denoting "ingredients for blending/flavoring" or "materials to adjust (taste)." This formation is typical in Chinese, where two meaningful characters combine to precisely define a category of items based on their function, efficiently conveying the concept of substances used to flavor food.