The word 铅笔盒 is formed by combining three characters: 铅 meaning "lead", 笔 meaning "writing instrument", and 盒 meaning "box". The characters 铅 and 笔 together form 铅笔, which specifically means "pencil", and this compound then modifies 盒 to create a term that literally means "pencil box", referring to a container for holding pencils.