The Chinese word 猛烈 (měngliè), meaning "fierce" or "violent," is formed through a common morphological process known as **parallel compounding**, where two independent, semantically similar characters are combined to create a single, reinforced concept. The character 猛 (měng) on its own means "fierce," "violent," or "energetic," while 烈 (liè) means "intense," "strong," or "fiery." When paired, their meanings converge and amplify each other, resulting in a compound adjective that denotes a powerful, severe, or intense force, often describing things like an attack, a storm, or flames with greater emphasis than either character could convey alone.