The word "醉生梦死" is formed by combining two parallel two-character phrases: "醉生" meaning "to live as if drunk" and "梦死" meaning "to die as if in a dream", with each character contributing directly, 醉 (drunk), 生 (life), 梦 (dream), 死 (death), to create a literal image of existing in a state of intoxication and dreamlike oblivion, which together metaphorically describe a life of heedless decadence.