烈日 (liè rì) — scorching sun, blazing sun | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Literary, written-style term for an intense, scorching sun — stronger and more formal than the everyday 太阳. Typically used in descriptions of heat or hardship, not casual conversation.

noun

scorching sunblazing sun

Measure word · 个

Examples

烈日，。
Zài liè rì xià, rén men dōu bù gǎn chū mén.
Under the scorching sun, people don't dare to go out.
烈日。
Xià tiān de liè rì shài dé pí fū fā téng.
The summer scorching sun burns the skin until it hurts.
烈日。
Nóng mín men zài liè rì xià xīn qín láo zuò.
The farmers work hard under the blazing sun.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

烈 gives fierce heat, and 日 is the sun, so the meaning is a scorching sun.

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.

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).

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

日 originally drew the sun. A mark was added inside to tell it apart from similar square shapes.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Sky & Space Weather

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