严
yán
tight (closely sealed)
surname Yan; stern; strict; rigorous; severe; father
cliff (厂) + pressure (亚) = stern and strict
厂 (a cliff or overhang) suggests a confining, pressing environment; 亚 is primarily phonetic here, though its sense of 'secondary' or 'pressing down' loosely reinforces the feeling of strictness bearing down from above.
这位老师对学生要求很严。
zhè wèi lǎo shī duì xué sheng yāo qiú hěn yán。
This teacher has very strict requirements of students.
天气越来越冷，门窗要关严。
tiān qì yuè lái yuè lěng， mén chuāng yào guān yán。
The weather is getting colder and colder; the doors and windows need to be shut tight.
Words with 严
严冬
yán dōng
severe winter
关严
guān yán
to close (a window) completely; to shut (a door) properly; to turn off (a faucet) tightly
嘴不严
zuǐ bù yán
to have a loose tongue
嘴严
zuǐ yán
prudent in speech
严了眼儿
yán le yǎn r
up to the eyeballs
严以律己
yán yǐ lǜ jǐ
to be strict with oneself (idiom)
严以责己宽以待人
yán yǐ zé jǐ kuān yǐ dài rén
to be severe with oneself and lenient with others (idiom)
严刑
yán xíng
strict law
严刑拷打
yán xíng kǎo dǎ
torture
严加
yán jiā
sternly
严厉
yán lì
severe
严厉打击
yán lì dǎ jī
to strike a severe blow