严刑峻法

嚴刑峻法

yánxíng-jùnfǎ

idiom

Meanings

1 harsh punishments and strict laws
2 draconian legal regime

Characters

Examples

秦朝以严刑峻法治国。

Qíncháo yǐ yánxíng-jùnfǎ zhì guó.

The Qin dynasty ruled through harsh laws and heavy punishments.

仅靠严刑峻法难以根治问题。

Jǐn kào yánxíng-jùnfǎ nányǐ gēnzhì wèntí.

Draconian law alone can't solve the problem.

Tips

history

From 后汉书·崔寔传: 严刑峻法，破奸轨之胆 - harsh law to break the nerve of wrongdoers. Associated in Chinese historical writing with Legalist rule (法家), especially the Qin.

register

Formal, often historical or critical. Used in commentary and law-policy writing.

Stroke Order

严 yán

刑 xíng

峻 jùn

法 fǎ