TongTong
Sign in

严肃 (yán sù) — (adjective) serious; solemn; grave; (verb) to strictly enforce; to take seriously (rules, discipline, law)

Definition

Describes a serious, solemn tone, expression, or atmosphere. Stronger and more formal than 认真 ('conscientious' about doing a task); pairs with people and issues, not personal effort. 严重 means 'severe' for problems or illness, not for tone.

adjective
serioussolemngrave
verb
to strictly enforceto take seriously (rules, discipline, law)

Examples

  • 严肃。
    Tā de biǎo qíng hěn yán sù.
    His expression is very serious.
  • 严肃。
    Zhè shì yí gè yán sù de wèn tí.
    This is a serious issue.
  • 严肃。
    Zhèng fǔ bì xū yán sù fǎ lǜ.
    The government must strictly enforce the law.

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yánstrict; severe
肃sùsolemn; respectful

“严肃” joins “严” (strict) and “肃” (solemn), giving grave seriousness.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 肅; 肃 is its simplified writing.

  • 𦘒𦘒𦘒
  • 𣶒𣶒𣶒

The traditional form 肅 is made of 𦘒 and 𣶒, whose picture is unclear; one old explanation sees a person sweeping or walking with a staff near an abyss, trembling in fear. The simplified 肃 is a later shorthand.

Open 肃 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5HSK 2.0 Level 5Personality & Traits5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

Browse more HSK 5 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.