The word 鬼哭狼嚎 is formed by combining two parallel verb-object phrases: 鬼哭, meaning "ghosts cry", and 狼嚎, meaning "wolves howl". Each character contributes directly to this structure: 鬼 (ghost) and 狼 (wolf) are the subjects, while 哭 (cry) and 嚎 (howl) are the actions. The pairing creates a compound idiom where the two phrases intensify each other, collectively depicting a scene of terrifying and mournful noises.