The word 沦落 (lúnluò) is a compound formed through the semantic combination of two characters with closely related meanings: 沦 (lún), which originally meant "sink" or "submerge" and carries connotations of decline or falling into a lower state (often moral or social), and 落 (luò), which means "to fall" or "to drop." When paired, their meanings converge and intensify to describe a process of decline or a state of being reduced to a lower, often wretched or destitute, condition. This formation exemplifies a common Chinese lexical pattern where synonymous or near-synonymous roots are combined to create a nuanced abstract verb, in this case specifically referring to a figurative fall from grace, fortune, or social standing into ruin, poverty, or obscurity.