The word 改邪归正 is formed by sequentially combining four characters: 改 (to change), 邪 (evil), 归 (to return), and 正 (righteousness). The first pair, 改邪, means "to change evil" or "abandon wickedness", and the second pair, 归正, means "to return to righteousness". This structure directly yields the literal meaning of "change evil and return to righteousness", expressing the idea of reforming from bad behavior to good.