剧烈 (jù liè) — violent, acute, severe, fierce | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

For intense physical processes — pain, exercise, shaking, conflict — more sudden and forceful than 严重 (which is more about gravity/consequences). Pairs with verbs and actions, not abstract situations.

adjective

violentacuteseverefierce

Examples

剧烈，。
Tā zuì jìn jīng cháng zuò jù liè yùn dòng, shēn tǐ hǎo le hěn duō.
He has been doing intense exercise recently and feels much better.
剧烈。
Zhè zhǒng yào kě yǐ huǎn jiě jù liè de tóu tòng.
This medicine can relieve severe headaches.
剧烈，。
Jīng guò jù liè de sī xiǎng dòu zhēng, tā jué dìng cí zhí.
After intense mental struggle, he decided to resign.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

剧jùsevere

剧 means severe and 烈 means fierce, so together they describe something intense or violent.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 劇; 剧 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

刀刀dāoknife

Sound part声符shēngfú

豦

豦jù劇jù

Same sound today

The traditional form 劇 pairs 豦, which gives the sound, with 刀, a knife; the simplified 剧 is a later shorthand.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

列灬烈

Meaning part形符xíngfú

灬Written in full as火huǒfire

Sound part声符shēngfú

列

列liè烈liè

Same sound today

烈 pairs 列 for the sound with 灬, a form of 火 (fire).

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 6 HSK 2.0 Level 6 Good & Bad

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