The word 激烈 is formed by combining two characters, each contributing a layer of intense imagery to create a unified concept of extreme force or fervor. The first character, 激, originally evokes the image of swift, turbulent water being agitated or splashed, conveying a sense of being stirred up, provoked, or highly active. It is paired with 烈, which pictorially suggests a fierce, spreading fire, embodying notions of blazing intensity, severity, and extremity. Together, they metaphorically merge the unrestrained power of raging water with the blazing fervor of fire to express a state of fierce, violent, or passionate intensity, as seen in conflict, competition, or emotion.