The word "混沌" is formed by combining two phono-semantic characters: 混, composed of the water radical (氵) for semantic association with fluidity and the component 昆 for phonetic approximation, originally denoting turbid water; and 沌, similarly using the water radical (氵) with the component 屯 for sound, originally referring to deep water. Together, their shared radical reinforces a concept of murky, indistinct fluidity, while the phonetic elements guide pronunciation, resulting in a compound word that literally conveys a state of muddiness or confusion.