The word 寤寐 is formed by combining two characters: 寤, meaning "awake", and 寐, meaning "asleep". Each character is constructed with the semantic component 宀 (roof), associated with rest or dwelling, and distinct phonetic elements, 吾 in 寤 and 未 in 寐, that aid in pronunciation. Their juxtaposition as a compound word represents the two opposing states of consciousness, thereby conveying the comprehensive idea of both waking and sleeping, often used to imply constant occurrence or persistent thought across all times.