The word 下水 is a compound formed by combining the character 下 (xià), meaning "down" or "below," with 水 (shuǐ), meaning "water." This formation follows a common verb-object structure in Chinese, where the first character indicates an action and the second is the object of that action. Literally, it means "to enter the water" or "to put into water," which is the basis for its core meanings: as a verb, it can describe launching a ship into the water, and by metaphorical extension, it refers to offal or entrails (organs taken *down* from an animal and washed *with water* during butchering). Its specific meaning is entirely dependent on context, demonstrating how Chinese compounds often create new, nuanced concepts from simple, literal combinations.