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严正 (yán zhèng) — serious and principled; stern (used in formal statements, positions, or warnings)

Definition

A formal, written term used almost exclusively in official statements (声明, 关切, 警告) to mean 'stern and principled' — far more literary and politically weighted than everyday words like 严肃.

verb
serious and principledstern (used in formal statements, positions, or warnings)

Examples

  • 严正。
    Zhèng fǔ fā biǎo le yán zhèng shēng míng.
    The government issued a stern statement.
  • 严正。
    Tā yán zhèng dì jù jué le duì fāng de yāo qiú.
    He sternly rejected the other party's request.
  • 严正。
    Zhōng fāng duì cǐ cì shì jiàn biǎo shì yán zhèng guān qiè.
    China expressed serious concern over this incident.

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yánserious
正zhèngupright

严 ('serious/stern') and 正 ('upright/principled') together mean serious and principled.

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
止止zhǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng正zhèng
Same sound today

正 pairs 止 with 丁; 止 marks the sense and 丁 gives the sound.

Open 正 →
Appears in
Attitudes & Opinions

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