嚴

Core sense is strictness or rigidity. This manifests in three primary directions:

• Authority and Dignity: Denotes gravitas, majesty, or solemnity (e.g., 威嚴); the necessary weight of authority.
• Severity and Rigidity: Denotes harshness, austerity, or an oppressive lack of flexibility.
• Formality and Boundary: Marks a state of formality or the enforcement of a boundary.

• Adjective: Standard use (e.g., "a stern expression").
• Verb: To impose strictness, enforce a standard, or tighten control.
• Adverbial: When modifying verbs of prohibition (禁) or guarding (守), it indicates the intensity and rigor of execution ("strictly," "rigorously").

• 嚴 vs. 肅 (Sù): 嚴 refers to the weight or severity of authority; 肅 refers to the resulting stillness, order, or reverence.
• 嚴 vs. 厲 (Lì): 嚴 is strictness (which can be just); 厲 leans toward harshness that may be punitive or cruel.
• 嚴 vs. 峻 (Jùn): While both mean stern, 峻 (literally "steep") often implies distance or unapproachability.

Tang-period reading: *ngiæm. Simplified variant: U+4E25.

Depending on context, consider alternatives to "strict":

• Ritual/Ceremony: solemn.
• Law/Administration: rigorous.
• Presence/Bearing: august, formidable, or stern.