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严密 (yán mì) — strict, tight, close (of organization, surveillance, logic, etc.)

Definition

严密的 ('strict, airtight') focuses on systems, arguments, or surveillance being watertight with no gaps. Unlike 严格 (about people/rules) or 严谨 (about people/manner being meticulous), 严密 describes the structure itself being tightly sealed.

adjective
stricttightclose (of organization, surveillance, logic, etc.)

Examples

  • 严密。
    Jǐng fāng duì xiàn chǎng jìn xíng le yán mì de fēng suǒ.
    The police set up a tight cordon around the scene.
  • 严密，。
    Tā de lùn zhèng fēi cháng yán mì, zhǎo bú dào rèn hé lòu dòng.
    His argument is very rigorous, with no loopholes to be found.
  • 严密。
    Gōng sī yǒu yán mì de bǎo mì zhì dù.
    The company has a strict confidentiality system.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

严yántight; strict
密mìclose; dense

严 means 'tight, strict' and 密 means 'close, dense'; together they describe a tight, thorough arrangement.

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 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
山山shānmountain
Sound part声符shēngfú
宓
宓mì密mì
Same sound today

密 pairs 山 (mountain) with 宓 (mì), which gives the pronunciation, to picture something hidden in the mountains, hence secret.

Open 密 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Abstract ConceptsGood & Bad

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