The word "雪山" (xuěshān), meaning "snow mountain" or "snow-capped mountain", is formed through semantic compounding, a primary method of word formation in Chinese. It combines two independent morphemes: "雪" (xuě), meaning "snow", and "山" (shān), meaning "mountain". The relationship between the two components is attributive or descriptive, where the first element "雪" modifies the second element "山", specifying what kind of mountain it is. This creates a new, specific concept, a mountain characterized by or covered in snow, that is more specific than either character alone and functions as a single, compound noun.