The word 阴谋 is formed through the direct, conceptual merging of its two component characters: 阴 (yīn), which evokes darkness, shadow, and the hidden or unseen, and 谋 (móu), which signifies planning, strategy, or scheme. The formation is not merely additive but powerfully metaphorical; it paints the image of a "plan hatched in the shadows". The darkness of 阴 qualitatively defines and corrupts the nature of the 谋, transforming a neutral act of planning into a secretive, underhanded, and malicious plot. The meaning emerges from this vivid, almost pictorial fusion, where the first character sets the sinister atmosphere and the second specifies the activity conducted within it.