The Chinese word "一帆风顺" is formed by sequentially combining four characters: 一 (yī, meaning "one"), 帆 (fān, meaning "sail"), 风 (fēng, meaning "wind"), and 顺 (shùn, meaning "favorable" or "smooth"). Literally, these characters together depict the image of a boat with one sail moving smoothly with the wind, which directly constructs the idiom's core meaning of wishing someone a journey or endeavor without hindrance.