The word 消暑 is formed by combining the character 消, meaning to dissipate or eliminate, which itself consists of the water radical (氵) implying liquid or flow and the component 肖 often indicating sound, with the character 暑, meaning heat or summer heat, composed of the sun radical (日) denoting association with the sun and the component 者 primarily providing phonetic value. Together, these characters create a compound where 消 acts as a verb and 暑 as its object, resulting in the literal meaning "to dissipate heat".