The Chinese word 任重道远 is formed by combining two distinct two-character phrases: 任重, meaning "the burden is heavy", and 道远, meaning "the road is far". These phrases are placed together in a parallel structure, where 任 (burden) and 道 (road) are nouns modified by 重 (heavy) and 远 (far) respectively, creating a compound idiom that literally conveys "the burden is heavy and the road is long" to denote a difficult, long-term responsibility.