烈 (liè): intense, fierce
烈 (liè) is a Chinese character meaning “intense, fierce.” Classified as HSK Level 5 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 列 (phonetic) and 灬 (semantic). It ranks #802 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 烈 fire. Its radical form 灬 (fire) appears in many related characters such as 点 (diǎn, point, o'clock), 热 (rè, hot, to heat), 然 (rán, nature, thus).
Definitions
- intense, fierce
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 烈 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 烈
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 强烈adjective | qiáng liè | strong | 5 |
| 激烈adjective | jī liè | (of competition or fighting) intense | 5 |
| 热烈adjective | rè liè | enthusiastic | 5 |
| 剧烈adjective | jù liè | violent | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 烈火 | liè huǒ | raging inferno |
| 猛烈 | měng liè | fierce |
| 烈酒 | liè jiǔ | strong alcoholic drink |
| 烈士 | liè shì | martyr |
| 安德烈 | ān dé liè | Andre (person name) |
| 烈焰 | liè yàn | raging flames |
| 火烈鸟 | huǒ liè niǎo | flamingo |
| 兴高采烈 | xìng gāo cǎi liè | happy and excited (idiom) |
| 惨烈 | cǎn liè | bitter |
| 愈演愈烈 | yù yǎn yù liè | ever more critical |
| 烈性 | liè xìng | strong |
| 轰轰烈烈 | hōng hōng liè liè | strong |
| 烈日 | liè rì | scorching sun |
| 壮烈 | zhuàng liè | brave |
| 浓烈 | nóng liè | strong (taste, flavor, smell) |
烈 appears in 61 compound words: 28 as the first character, 54 as the last, and 18 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 烈 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (7)
lit. intense fire to dry wood (idiom); inferno in a woodpile; fig. consuming passion between lovers
Example Sentences
市场竞争越来越激烈，企业必须不断创新才能生存。
Shìchǎng jìngzhēng yuèláiyuè jīliè, qǐyè bìxū bùduàn chuàngxīn cáinéng shēngcún.
Market competition is becoming increasingly fierce, and companies must continuously innovate to survive.
...雨”本周爆发!气象专家曝3特征“恐发生剧烈对流”
. . . yǔ běn zhōu bào fā ! qì xiàng zhuān jiā pù 3 tè zhēng kǒng fā shēng jù liè duì liú
... Rain" broke out this week! Meteorological experts revealed 3 characteristics "fear of violent convection"
港股概念追踪 | 存储芯片涨价潮愈演愈烈 行业全面进入卖方市场(附概念股)
gǎng gǔ gài niàn zhuī zōng cún chǔ xīn piàn zhǎng jià cháo yù yǎn yù liè háng yè quán miàn jìn rù mài fāng shì chǎng ( fù gài niàn gǔ )
Hong Kong Stock Concept Tracking | The price increase of memory chips is intensifying, and the industry has fully entered the seller's market (with concept stocks)
激烈4轮PK决胜 彰化慈航宫年度总斗首出炉
jī liè 4 lún P K jué shèng zhāng huà cí háng gōng nián dù zǒng dǒu shǒu chū lú
Fierce 4 rounds of PK decisive Changhua Cihang Palace's annual general fight was released
春节祭英烈 初心永不忘 华北军区烈士陵园开展“春节...
chūn jié zhài yīng liè chū xīn yǒng bù wàng huá běi jūn ōu liè shì líng yuán kāi zhǎn chūn jié . . .
Spring Festival Martyrs' Memorial Park in North China Military Region to carry out "Spring Festival...
在这个城市，白人和黑人间的争端愈演愈烈。
Zài zhège chéngshì, báirén hé hēirén jiān de zhēngduān yù yǎn yù liè.
The conflict between blacks and whites in the city became worse.
他的演说赢得了观众热烈的掌声。
Tā de yǎnshuō yíngdé le guānzhòng rèliè de zhǎngshēng.
The audience clapped loudly after his speech.
这朵花散发出强烈的香味。
Zhè duǒ huā sànfā chū qiángliè de xiāngwèi.
This flower gives off a strong fragrance.
这种威士忌太烈了。
Zhèzhǒng wēishìjì tài liè le.
This whisky is too strong.
他们的房屋被强烈地震摧毁了。
Tāmen de fángwū bèi qiángliè dìzhèn cuīhuǐ le.
They had their houses destroyed by a strong earthquake.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 烈 (liè) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 烈 and 例?
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What is the radical of 烈?
What are the components of 烈?
What are common words containing 烈?
What characters sound the same as 烈 (liè)?
Is 烈 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
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