Meaning of 严厉
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- severe
- strict
How to use 严厉
严厉 describes people, attitudes, criticism, or punishment that are stern and harsh. It often comes before nouns like 批评 (pīpíng, criticism) or 惩罚 (chéngfá, punishment). Example: 老师对学生很严厉。(Lǎoshī duì xuéshēng hěn yánlì.) The teacher is very strict with the students.
严 (yán) means strict, as in 严格 (yángé), and 厉 (lì) means harsh or fierce, as in 厉害 (lìhai). Put strict and harsh together and you get someone who is severe with you.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 严厉 and 严格 (yángé). 严格 is about strict rules or standards, as in 严格要求 (strict requirements). 严厉 is about a harsh, stern manner or tone, as in 严厉的眼神 (a stern look).
严厉 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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厉 lì · whetstone · 5 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 严厉.
| 严重 | yánzhòng | grave; serious; severe; critical |
| 严格 | yángé | strict; stringent; tight; rigorous |
| 厉害 | lìhai | (used to describe sb or sth that makes a very strong impression, whether favorable or unfa |
| 严肃 | yánsù | (of an atmosphere etc) solemn; grave; serious; (of a manner etc) earnest; severe; exacting |
| 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 严厉
What does 严厉 mean?
严厉 (yánlì) means "severe; strict" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 严厉?
严厉 is made of 2 characters: 严 (7 strokes), 厉 (5 strokes). That is 12 strokes in total.
Is 严厉 an HSK word?
Yes. 严厉 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 严厉 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 严厉 is written 嚴厲.
Is 严厉 positive or negative?
It is mostly neutral to slightly negative. It says someone is stern and harsh. Context decides whether that is a good thing, such as a strict but caring parent, or a bad thing.
Can 严厉 be used as an adverb?
Yes. It can describe how an action is done, often with 地 (de), as in 严厉地批评 (yánlì de pīpíng), to criticize harshly. In formal writing 地 is sometimes dropped, as in 严厉打击 (to crack down hard).