The word 趁火打劫 is formed by combining 趁 (meaning "to take advantage of"), 火 (meaning "fire"), 打 (meaning "to strike"), and 劫 (meaning "to rob"). Literally, it translates to "to rob while a fire is striking", depicting the act of seizing the opportunity during a fire to plunder. This direct combination of characters yields the idiomatic meaning of exploiting a crisis or disaster for personal gain.