The word 煎熬 is formed by combining two vivid, metaphorical characters from the realm of cooking to create a powerful concept of suffering. The first character, 煎, depicts the act of pan-frying or searing in oil, suggesting a sudden, intense, and burning kind of pain. The second, 熬, represents the process of stewing or decocting over a long, slow fire, implying a drawn-out, simmering, and relentless torment. Together, they form a single, visceral idea of being simultaneously burned and slowly stewed, a perfect metaphor for enduring extreme physical or mental anguish that is both acute and prolonged.