‘厉声’ is an adverb meaning ‘sharply’ or ‘sternly’, describing how something—usually speech—is delivered with severity, urgency, or strong disapproval. The character 厉 (lì) means ‘severe’, ‘strict’, or ‘fierce’, while 声 (shēng) means ‘voice’ or ‘sound’. Together, they literally convey ‘a severe voice’, and function exclusively to modify verbs of speaking or vocalizing (e.g., 说, 喝, 叫, 呵斥). It carries a distinctly negative or authoritative connotation and is rarely used in neutral or positive contexts.

This term appears frequently in narrative writing, dialogue, and formal descriptions—especially when depicting authority figures reprimanding others, parents disciplining children, or characters reacting with anger or alarm. It is not used for non-vocal actions (e.g., you cannot ‘厉声 walk’), nor does it describe tone of writing or text alone—it always implies audible, spoken delivery. Its usage is common in both written and spoken Mandarin, though slightly more literary than colloquial alternatives like 大声地 or 不耐烦地说.