The word 淹死 is formed by combining two characters to create a vivid, cause-and-effect image. The first character, 淹 (yān), depicts the action of being submerged or inundated in water. It is immediately followed by the second character, 死 (sǐ), which signifies death. Together, they do not simply list two ideas; they sequentially narrate a mini-scene where the state of being flooded leads directly to the final outcome of death, visually conveying the specific concept of "to drown".