The word 热情 is formed by conceptually combining two characters: 热 (rè), meaning "heat" or "hot", and 情 (qíng), meaning "feeling" or "emotion". It is a compound where the first character acts as a vivid descriptor for the second, creating a metaphorical fusion. The "heat" does not describe a temperature but intensifies and characterizes the "feeling", resulting in a unified concept where fervor, warmth, and intense positive emotion are imagined as a single, palpable quality, essentially a "warm emotion" or ardent passion.