The word 堕落 (duòluò) is formed by combining two characters that each carry the core idea of "falling". The first, 堕, depicts a fall from a height or a sinking into decline, often with a moral connotation. The second, 落, simply means to fall down, like leaves from a tree. Together, they create a powerful, layered metaphor where the repetition of the "falling" concept intensifies the meaning, painting a vivid picture of a continuous, often ethical or spiritual, descent into a lower state.