The word 销声匿迹 is formed by combining four characters: 销 (meaning to eliminate or cancel), 声 (meaning sound or voice), 匿 (meaning to hide or conceal), and 迹 (meaning trace or footprint). It structures two verb-object phrases, where 销声 literally means "to eliminate sound" and 匿迹 means "to hide traces", resulting in a compounded meaning that conveys disappearing entirely without leaving any signs.