烈れっ火かのごとく

Meanings

expression, adverb

furiously; in a blazing rage

Describes intense anger, likening it to a raging fire. Often used with verbs like 怒る (to get angry) or 叱る (to scold).

彼かれは烈れっ火かのごとく怒おこり出だした。
He flew into a blazing rage.
上じょう司しは部ぶ下かのミスに烈れっ火かのごとく叱しかった。
The boss scolded his subordinate furiously over the mistake.

Kanji

烈ardent, violent, vehement
火fire
如likeness, like, such as

Related words

烈れっ火か
烈火 is a noun meaning 'raging fire' or 'fury'. 烈火のごとく turns it into an adverbial phrase meaning 'like a raging fire', used almost exclusively for anger.
激げき怒ど
激怒 is a noun/suru-verb meaning 'violent anger' or 'fury'. 烈火のごとく is more literary and emphasizes the simile to fire.

Written forms

烈れっ火かのごとく
Standard modern spelling using hiragana for the auxiliary.
烈れっ火かの如ごとく
Kanji spelling for the auxiliary; more literary or formal in tone.

Etymology

Phrase composed of 烈火 (raging fire) + の (possessive particle) + ごとく (adverbial form of 如し, meaning 'like'). Literally 'like a raging fire', used idiomatically for intense anger.