The word 困扰 is formed through the direct conceptual fusion of its two component characters: 困, which depicts being trapped or entangled as if by a tree (木) within a boundary (囗), conveys a state of distress or difficulty; and 扰, which carries the meaning of to disturb, harass, or throw into disorder. Together, they create a compound where the first character describes the state (being trapped in distress) and the second character provides the active cause (being disturbed), resulting in the unified meaning of a troubling matter that persistently entangles and agitates the mind, like a nagging problem one cannot break free from.