炽热 (chì rè) — red-hot; blazing; scorching hot; passionate (of emotions, love, etc.)

Definition

炽热 (chìrè) is a literary adjective for extreme heat or intense emotion, stronger and more formal than 炎热 (yánrè), which is the neutral word for hot weather. The figurative 'passionate' sense is common in writing.

adjective
red-hotblazingscorching hotpassionate (of emotions, love, etc.)

Examples

  • ，炽热。
    Xià tiān de shā mò, chì rè de shā zi ràng rén wú fǎ xíng zǒu.
    In the summer desert, the scorching hot sand makes it impossible to walk.
  • 炽热。
    Tā duì yì shù yǒu zhe chì rè de zhuī qiú.
    He has a passionate pursuit of art.
  • 炽热。
    Nà chì rè de gǎn qíng ràng rén gǎn dòng.
    That passionate emotion moved people.

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.

炽chìblazing
热rèhot

炽 means blazing, and 热 means hot; together they describe intense heat or passion.

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 熾; 炽 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
火火huǒfire
Sound part声符shēngfú
戠
戠zhí熾chì
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 熾 pairs 火, fire, with 戠 for the sound; the simplified 炽 is a later shorthand.

Open 炽 →

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 熱; 热 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
灬Written in full as火huǒfire
Sound part声符shēngfú
埶
埶yì熱rè
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 熱 pairs 埶 with 火 (written as 灬) to show heat, while 埶 gives a sound.

Open 热 →
Appears in
Emotions & FeelingsWeather

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