The Chinese word **烈火** is formed through semantic compounding, where two independent characters, each with their own meaning, combine to create a new, more specific concept. The first character, **烈 (liè)**, conveys meanings of intense, fierce, or blazing, often describing the quality of a fire. The second character, **火 (huǒ)**, simply means "fire." When combined, **烈火** does not merely mean "fire," but specifically a "raging fire" or "blaze," where **烈** acts as an intensifying modifier describing the fierce and powerful nature of the **火**. This formation is a classic example of how Chinese compounds create vivid, figurative meaning through the logical and aesthetic pairing of semantic elements.