‘严厉’ is an adjective meaning ‘strict’ or ‘severe’, describing a person’s attitude, tone, or behavior when enforcing rules or expressing disapproval. It combines two characters: 严 (yán), meaning ‘strict’, ‘rigorous’, or ‘solemn’, and 厉 (lì), meaning ‘severe’, ‘harsh’, or ‘formidable’. Together, they intensify the sense of uncompromising seriousness—more forceful than just 严格 (yángrù) and less emotionally charged than 残酷 (cánkù). It’s commonly used to describe authority figures like parents, teachers, or supervisors, especially when correcting mistakes or upholding discipline.

The word carries a neutral-to-slightly-negative connotation depending on context: it can imply admirable firmness (e.g., a principled leader) or excessive harshness (e.g., an unyielding boss). It typically modifies nouns (e.g., 严厉的老师) or follows verbs like 是 or 显得. Unlike standalone adverbs, it rarely appears without a noun or copula in formal usage, and it’s not used for physical conditions (e.g., weather or pain) — those require words like 严酷 or 剧烈.