The word 惊人 is formed through a direct and vivid conceptual fusion: the first character, 惊 (jīng), meaning "to startle" or "to be alarmed", is placed in an active, verbal relationship before the second character, 人 (rén), meaning "person" or "people". This juxtaposition creates an immediate cause-and-effect image, visually and notionally portraying the action of "startling" as it directly impacts its object, "people". The compound thus naturally embodies the figurative meaning of "astounding" or "breathtaking", as if the thing described performs the act of startling a person, capturing the essence of something so remarkable it actively jolts human perception.