严惩不贷

嚴懲不貸

yánchéng-bùdài

idiom #67,295

Meanings

1 to punish severely without pardon
2 to deal with harshly, showing no mercy

Characters

to pardon; to lend

Examples

HSK 6

凡是违反规定的，一律严惩不贷。

Fánshì wéifǎn guīdìng de, yílǜ yánchéng-búdài.

Anyone who violates the rules will be severely punished, no exceptions.

HSK 7-9

对腐败行为，必须严惩不贷。

Duì fǔbài xíngwéi, bìxū yánchéng-búdài.

Corruption must be punished severely without pardon.

Tips

usage

贷 here means 'to pardon/to spare' (an old legal sense), so 不贷 = 'no pardon.' The phrase is a standard tagline in legal and disciplinary announcements - 一律严惩不贷 ('all will be punished, no exceptions').

register

Formal and authoritative. Common in news reports, court verdicts, and corporate disciplinary statements. Sounds too heavy for ordinary conversation.

Stroke Order

严 yán

惩 chéng

不 bù

贷 dài