The word 好高骛远 is formed by combining two parallel verb-object phrases: 好高, where 好 is a verb meaning "to like" and 高 is an adjective meaning "high" serving as the object, and 骛远, where 骛 is a verb meaning "to pursue" and 远 is an adjective meaning "far" serving as the object. The conjunction of these phrases creates a compound idiom that literally denotes "liking high and pursuing far", structurally emphasizing the critique of aiming for excessively lofty or distant goals.