Meaning of 严格
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- strict; stringent; tight; rigorous
How to use 严格
严格 describes people, rules, and requirements, and it often comes before 要求 (yāoqiú) or 管理 (guǎnlǐ). As a verb it means to make something strict, as in 严格纪律 (to tighten discipline). Example: 我的老师对学生很严格。 (Wǒ de lǎoshī duì xuésheng hěn yángé.) My teacher is very strict with the students.
严 (yán) means strict or severe, and 格 (gé) means a standard or pattern, like the boxes in a grid. Being 严格 means sticking tightly to the standard, staying inside the lines.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 严格 (strict) and 严重 (yánzhòng, serious or severe). A problem or illness is 严重, while a teacher or a rule is 严格. Also note that the person someone is strict with is introduced with 对 (duì), not 和.
严格 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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格 gé · square · 10 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 严格.
| 资格 | zīgé | qualifications; seniority |
| 价格 | jiàgé | price |
| 性格 | xìnggé | nature; disposition |
| 表格 | biǎogé | form; table |
| 合格 | hégé | to meet the standard required; qualified |
| 严重 | yánzhòng | grave; serious; severe; critical |
| 风格 | fēnggé | style |
| 格外 | géwài | especially; particularly; even more than usual; extra; additional |
| 及格 | jígé | to pass an exam or a test; to meet a minimum standard |
| 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 |
Questions about 严格
What does 严格 mean?
严格 (yángé) means "strict; stringent; tight; rigorous" and is used as a adjective and verb.
How do you write 严格?
严格 is made of 2 characters: 严 (7 strokes), 格 (10 strokes). That is 17 strokes in total.
Is 严格 an HSK word?
Yes. 严格 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 严格 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 严格 is written 嚴格.
Can 严格 be used as an adverb before a verb?
Yes. It often appears as 严格地 or just 严格 before a verb, as in 严格遵守规定 (yángé zūnshǒu guīdìng), to strictly follow the rules.
What is the difference between 严格 and 严厉 (yánlì)?
严格 focuses on high standards and following rules closely, and it is often neutral or positive. 严厉 describes a harsh, stern manner or tone, such as a stern scolding.