严守 (yán shǒu) — to strictly abide by (rules, discipline, etc.); to closely guard (secrets, positions, etc.)

Definition

A formal verb meaning 'to strictly keep or guard' — emphasizes firm, disciplined adherence (rules, secrets, posts).

verb
to strictly abide by (rules, discipline, etc.)to closely guard (secrets, positions, etc.)

Examples

  • 严守。
    Wǒ men bì xū yán shǒu jì lǜ.
    We must strictly abide by the discipline.
  • 严守。
    Tā yán shǒu gōng sī de mì mì.
    He closely guards the company's secrets.
  • 严守。
    Shì bīng men yán shǒu gǎng wèi.
    The soldiers strictly guard their posts.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

严yánstrict
守shǒuguard

严 means strict, and 守 means guard or observe; together they describe guarding or observing something closely.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 嚴; 严 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
喦喦yántalkative
Sound part声符shēngfú
敢
敢gǎn嚴yán
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 嚴 combines 喦 (talkative) and 敢 (daring); the simplified 严 is a later shorthand.

Open 严 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 宀宀miánroof; building
  • 寸寸cùnhand

守 pairs 宀, a roof or building, with 寸, a hand, to show a hand guarding a place.

Open 守 →

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