The average temperature in Shanghai during latest week is around 28~35 degree and yellow high temperature alert was issued. Please be kind to those who ask you out recently. As your friends to death, they must want to discuss about your lifelong business on such sweltering days outside! Anyway, do you know how to express HOT in Chinese except 热 rè?
三伏天 sānfútiān
三伏天 means canicular days or dog days of summer, referring to the period from early July to mid-August, the hottest days in a year. “伏Fú” means “not move”, as the weather is too hot to move according to traditional Chinese way of keeping good health.
2020年的三伏天从7月16日开始，到8月24日结束，一共有40天。
Èrlíng‘èrlíng nián de sānfútiān cóng qī yuè shíliù rì kāishǐ，dào bā yuè èrshísì rì jiéshù，yīgòng yǒu sìshí tiān。
The dog days of summer in 2020 start on July 16 and end on August 24, 40 days in total.
炎热/酷热/闷热/炙热 yánrè/kùrè/mēnrè/zhìrè
These are the four synonyms describing very hot and can be replaced by each other but slightly different in the meaning of the character beside rè.
炎热的夏天，一杯冰镇橙汁是我的最爱。
Yánrè de xiàtiān，yìbēi bīngzhèn chéngzhī shì wǒ de zuì ài。
In burning hot summer, a glass of iced orange juice is my favorite.
天气酷热，出门要小心，以免中暑。
Tiānqì kùrè，chūmén yào xiǎoxīn，yǐmiǎn zhòngshǔ。
It’s super hot. Be careful when you go out to avoid heatstroke.
夏天的上海像个蒸笼，闷热难耐。
Xiàtiān de shànghǎi xiàng gè zhēnglóng，mēnrè nánnài。
Shanghai in summer is like a steamer, too muggy to endure.
炙热的太阳晒干了路上所有的水坑。
Zhìrè de tàiyáng shài gān le lù shàng suǒyǒu de shuǐkēng。
The scorching sun dried all the puddles on the road.
hànliújiābèi/dàhànlínlí/hànrúyǔxià
汗流浃背/大汗淋漓/汗如雨下
Sometimes you do not need to mention the word rè as we can feel from how much you sweat. Similar in the meaning, these idioms are synonyms too.
虽然我什么都没做，但还是汗流浃背。
Suīrán wǒ shénme dōu méi zuò，dàn háishì hànliújiābèi。
I didn’t do anything, but was still bathed in sweat.
热成狗/热死人 rèchénggǒu/rèsǐrén
These two sayings are more oral. Perhaps the image of dog’s sticking tongue out is so vivid that the saying “as hot as a dog” turns popular. And we always like to use “deadly” to describe how extreme the thing is.
这热死人的天气什么时候才能结束？
Zhè rèsǐrén de tiānqì shénme shíhòu cáinéng jiéshù？
When will this deadly hot days end?
If you ask me how hot do I feel in Shanghai now? I would say:
我的命是空调给的！
Wǒ de mìng shì kōngtiáo gěi de!
Air conditioner saved my life!
