The word "万马齐喑" is formed by sequentially combining the characters 万 (meaning "numerous"), 马 (meaning "horses"), 齐 (meaning "together"), and 喑 (meaning "silent"), which together create a literal subject-predicate phrase where "万马" (numerous horses) is the subject and "齐喑" (together silent) is the predicate, resulting in a vivid image that figuratively expresses a condition of utter silence or oppressive stillness.