暴烈 (bào liè) — violent, fierce

Definition

Describes a temper, force, or natural element as violent and unrestrained — stronger and more explosive than 猛烈, which fits more controlled force like wind or fire.

adjective
violentfierce
Easily confused

Examples

  • 暴烈，。
    Tā de pí qi bào liè, dòng bu dòng jiù fā huǒ.
    His temper is violent; he flares up at the slightest thing.
  • 暴烈，。
    Nà chǎng zhàn zhēng bào liè yì cháng, wú shù rén shī qù le shēng mìng.
    That war was exceptionally fierce; countless people lost their lives.
  • 暴烈，。
    Zhè gǔ qì liú bào liè ér gān zào, duì nóng tián wēi hài hěn dà.
    This air current is violent and dry, causing great harm to farmland.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

暴bàoviolent
烈lièfierce

暴 and 烈 both convey violence and intensity, so together they describe something fierce.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The earliest form paired 虎 and 戈, a tiger and a weapon. The later 暴 came from a picture of hands drying something in the sun.

Open 暴 →

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

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).

Open 烈 →

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