Meaning of 严
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- tight (closely sealed)
- stern
- strict
- rigorous
- severe
- father
- surname Yan
How to use 严
On its own, 严 often describes strict people or rules, as in 他对孩子很严 (tā duì háizi hěn yán) He is very strict with his kids. More often you will meet it in compounds like 严格 (yángé, strict), 严重 (yánzhòng, serious) and 严禁 (yánjìn, strictly prohibit), the last one common on public signs.
The simplified 严 looks like a strict wall: a firm roof line on top and a cliff-like frame 厂 holding rows of short strokes in tight order. Picture a stern teacher lining everyone up so tightly that nothing can slip out, which links both senses, strict and tightly sealed.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 严格 and 严重. 严格 describes rules or people (严格的老师, a strict teacher), while 严重 describes how bad a problem is (问题很严重, the problem is serious), so 严重的老师 is wrong. Also keep the tone a rising second tone, yán, not yǎn as in 眼.
严 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
严 yán · tight · 7 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 严.
| 严重 | yánzhòng | grave; serious; severe; critical |
| 严格 | yángé | strict; stringent; tight; rigorous |
| 严肃 | yánsù | (of an atmosphere etc) solemn; grave; serious; (of a manner etc) earnest; severe; exacting |
| 严厉 | yánlì | severe; strict |
| 严禁 | yánjìn | to strictly prohibit |
| 尊严 | zūnyán | dignity; sanctity |
| 严密 | yánmì | tight; strict; closely controlled; rigorous and thorough |
| 庄严 | zhuāngyán | solemn; dignified; stately |
| 严峻 | yánjùn | grim; severe |
| 严谨 | yánjǐn | rigorous; strict; careful; (of writing) well organized; meticulous |
| 严酷 | yánkù | bitter; harsh |
| 戒严 | jièyán | to impose martial law; to impose emergency measures |
Questions about 严
What does 严 mean?
严 (yán) means "tight (closely sealed); stern" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 严?
严 is made of 1 character: 严 (7 strokes). That is 7 strokes in total.
Is 严 an HSK word?
Yes. 严 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 严 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 严 is written 嚴.
What is the difference between 严格 and 严厉?
严格 (yángé) means strict in following standards and is neutral or even positive, like 严格要求 (strict requirements). 严厉 (yánlì) stresses a harsh, stern manner, such as scolding someone severely.
Why does 严 sometimes mean father?
In older and formal Chinese, 家严 (jiāyán) was a polite way to refer to one's own father, reflecting the idea of a stern parent. It is rare in everyday speech today, where people just say 爸爸 or 父亲.