The Chinese idiom 向隅而泣 is formed by the sequential combination of four characters: "向" meaning to face or toward, "隅" meaning a corner, "而" functioning as a conjunctive particle linking actions, and "泣" meaning to weep. These characters are directly assembled to depict a literal scene of facing a corner and crying, which figuratively conveys a sense of isolation and sorrow, derived from classical usage where the phrase describes someone left alone to grieve.