The word 妄想 is formed through the conceptual fusion of its two component characters: 妄, meaning "reckless", "false", or "delusional", and 想, meaning "to think" or "thought". It is not merely "thinking", but a specific kind of thinking characterized by being 妄. Therefore, the compound directly conveys the idea of "delusional thinking" or "wild fantasy", where the first character fundamentally modifies and defines the nature of the mental activity indicated by the second.