细嚼慢咽 is formed by combining two descriptive verb phrases: 细嚼, meaning "to chew finely or thoroughly", where 细 (fine) modifies 嚼 (chew), and 慢咽, meaning "to swallow slowly", where 慢 (slow) modifies 咽 (swallow). The four characters are arranged in a parallel structure to create a compound idiom that literally denotes eating in a careful and deliberate manner.