The idiom **拭目以待** (shì mù yǐ dài) is formed through a vivid, metaphorical combination of its four constituent characters: 拭 (to wipe), 目 (eyes), 以 (in order to), and 待 (to wait). It literally means "to wipe one's eyes and wait," painting a picture of someone carefully cleaning their vision in preparation to watch intently for an anticipated outcome. This imagery evolved from historical contexts, such as a recorded usage in the Three Kingdoms period where it expressed a public sentiment of eager, watchful expectation for a promised event. Thus, the phrase synthetically conveys the abstract meaning of waiting expectantly or with keen attention for something significant to happen, blending a concrete action (wiping eyes) with an abstract state (anticipatory waiting) to create a powerful figurative expression.