严肃 meaning in English
(of an atmosphere etc) solemn; grave; serious; (of a manner etc) earnest; severe; exacting
Meaning of 严肃
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- (of an atmosphere etc) solemn; grave; serious
- (of a manner etc) earnest; severe; exacting
- to strictly enforce
How to use 严肃
严肃 describes a serious atmosphere, expression, attitude, or issue, and as a verb it means to enforce rules strictly, as in 严肃纪律 (yánsù jìlǜ, to enforce discipline). Example: 他的表情很严肃。(Tā de biǎoqíng hěn yánsù.) His expression is very serious.
严 (yán) means strict and 肃 (sù) means solemn or respectful, so 严肃 is the strict, solemn face a teacher wears when the room must go quiet. Picture both characters standing straight and stiff, with no smile between them.
Common mistake: Learners often use 严肃 for a serious illness or accident, but that calls for 严重 (yánzhòng): say 病得很严重, not 病得很严肃. 严肃 is about manner, mood, or attitude, while 严重 is about how bad a situation is.
严肃 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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肃 sù · to pay respects · 8 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 严肃.
| 严重 | yánzhòng | grave; serious; severe; critical |
| 严格 | yángé | strict; stringent; tight; rigorous |
| 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 |
| 肃静 | sùjìng | solemnly silent |
| 严酷 | yánkù | bitter; harsh |
| 戒严 | jièyán | to impose martial law; to impose emergency measures |
Questions about 严肃
What does 严肃 mean?
严肃 (yánsù) means "(of an atmosphere etc) solemn; grave; serious; (of a manner etc) earnest; severe; exacting" and is used as a adjective and verb.
How do you write 严肃?
严肃 is made of 2 characters: 严 (7 strokes), 肃 (8 strokes). That is 15 strokes in total.
Is 严肃 an HSK word?
Yes. 严肃 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 严肃 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 严肃 is written 嚴肅.
What is the difference between 严肃 and 严格?
严格 (yángé) means strict about standards or rules, like 严格的老师 (a teacher with high standards). 严肃 focuses on a solemn, unsmiling manner or a serious attitude. A teacher can be 严格 without looking 严肃.
How do I say 'Be serious' or 'Take this seriously' in Chinese?
You can say 严肃点 (yánsù diǎn), meaning 'Be serious,' often said to someone who is joking around. To ask someone to take a matter seriously, say 请严肃对待这个问题 (qǐng yánsù duìdài zhège wèntí).