嚴

简 严 · 繁 嚴
Mandarin · pinyin yán#

Meanings · yán

  1. tight (closely sealed)
  2. stern
  3. strict
  4. rigorous
  5. severe
  6. father
Mandarin · pinyin Yán#

Meanings · Yán

  1. surname Yan
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Characters in this entry

嚴
Look up this written character
严
yán · strict, rigorous, rigid; stern
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

2 · yan2

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1character link57same-tone records
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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

嚴 · find source passages ↗ · 严 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 9 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

jim4

Cantonese word readings for 嚴. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

character

  1. strict; rigorous; rigid
  2. solemn; majestic; stately; grave
  3. urgent; pressing
  4. severe; intense
  5. (of a door, mouth, defense, etc.) tight
  6. (literary) to respect
  7. (literary) to fear
  8. (honorific) father
  9. a surname

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack