The word "下场" is formed through a vivid conceptual metaphor. It literally combines "下" (to go down, to exit) with "场" (a stage, arena, or field of activity). It originates from the concrete image of an actor leaving the stage after a performance. This physical act of exiting the scene was metaphorically extended to signify the conclusion of any endeavor, and more specifically, to imply the final, often negative, consequence or fate that one receives, as if walking off the stage of life or events after meeting one's destined outcome.