The word "流星雨" is formed by sequentially combining three characters: 流 meaning "to flow", 星 meaning "star", and 雨 meaning "rain". The compound 流星 literally translates to "flowing star", which is the Chinese term for a meteor. Adding 雨, which implies a downpour or multitude, results in the meaning "meteor shower", directly describing a celestial event where numerous meteors appear to radiate from one point in the sky.