炙 (zhì) is a bound form (b.f.) — it always attaches to another morpheme and never stands alone. It carries two core senses: the verb sense of roasting or broiling over an open flame (常见于 炙烤 zhìkǎo 'to roast/broil', 灼炙 zhuózhì 'to burn'), and the noun sense of roasted meat (见于 脍炙人口 kuàizhìrénkǒu, a chengyu meaning 'universally praised', literally 'everyone likes the roasted meat'). In compounds like 炙热 zhìrè 'scorching hot', the emphasis is on intense heat.