The word "嗤之以鼻" is formed by directly combining four characters: "嗤" meaning to sneer or scoff, "之" functioning as a classical pronoun for 'it' or 'that', "以" meaning with, and "鼻" meaning nose. This sequence creates a literal meaning of "sneering at it with the nose", where the nose symbolizes disdain, resulting in a figurative expression for showing contempt or scorn.