The word 妙趣横生 is formed by combining 妙 (meaning "wonderful") and 趣 (meaning "interest") to create 妙趣 (meaning "wonderful interest"), which is then modified by 横生 (literally "growing horizontally", used here to mean "abounding" or "overflowing") to indicate that such interest is pervasive, thus conveying the meaning of something being full of delight and charm.