严刑

嚴刑

yánxíng

noun #15,402

Meanings

1 severe punishment
2 cruel torture
3 harsh penalty

Characters

strict; severe; harsh

punishment; penalty; torture

Examples

他在严刑拷打下始终没有招供。

Tā zài yánxíng kǎodǎ xià shǐzhōng méiyǒu zhāogòng.

He never confessed despite severe torture.

古代对犯人施以严刑。

Gǔdài duì fànrén shī yǐ yánxíng.

In ancient times, harsh punishments were inflicted on prisoners.

Tips

usage

Often appears in the four-character phrase 严刑拷打 (yánxíng kǎodǎ, severe torture and beating). Also: 严刑逼供 (to extract a confession through torture).

Stroke Order

严 yán

刑 xíng