The word "嶙峋" is formed from two characters, each constructed as a phono-semantic compound. The character 嶙 integrates the semantic component 山 (mountain) with the phonetic component 粦 (lín), and 峋 integrates the semantic component 山 (mountain) with the phonetic component 旬 (xún), resulting in a combined term that denotes jagged or rugged rock formations based on the shared mountain radical and respective sound cues.