The Chinese word "阿姨" is formed by combining the character "阿", which serves as an affectionate or familiar prefix often attached to kinship terms, with the character "姨", which specifically denotes a maternal aunt. The character "姨" itself is structurally composed of the radical "女" (woman), indicating its semantic association with female relatives, and the component "夷", which historically provided phonetic guidance. This fusion results in a compound word that functions as a respectful and endearing reference to an aunt or an older woman, inherently highlighting the maternal lineage through the core meaning of "姨".