The Chinese word for chimpanzee, 黑猩猩 (hēixīngxing), is formed through a logical compounding and reduplication process. It combines the morpheme 黑 (hēi), meaning "black," with the duplicated morpheme 猩猩 (xīngxing), which is a general, archaic term for "ape" or "large primate." The reduplication of 猩 to form 猩猩 is a common pattern in Chinese for forming animal names (e.g., 狒狒, "baboon"). Thus, 黑猩猩 literally translates to "black ape," descriptively naming the animal based on its characteristic dark fur, following a modifier (黑) + base noun (猩猩) structure.