The word 引人入胜 is formed by sequentially combining four characters: 引 (to lead), 人 (people), 入 (to enter), and 胜 (here meaning "scenery" or "beautiful place"). It originates from an anecdote about painting in classical Chinese texts, where the phrase was used to describe how a compelling work should guide viewers into the depicted scene, thus creating a literal meaning of "leading people into scenery" that evolved into an idiom for something captivating.