肃杀 (sùshā): bleak and withering (of late au…

Meanings

1 bleak and withering (of late autumn or winter)
2 stern and severe (of an atmosphere)
3 harsh and forbidding

Characters

肃

Examples

深秋的山林一片肃杀。

Shēnqiū de shānlín yī piàn sùshā.

The late-autumn mountain forest is utterly bleak.

审判庭里气氛肃杀。

Shěnpàntíng lǐ qìfēn sùshā.

The atmosphere in the courtroom was severe and forbidding.

Tips

culture

In classical Chinese cosmology, autumn was paired with the metal element (金) and with execution — 'autumn' was the season for carrying out death sentences. 肃杀之气 ('the qi of severe killing') captures both the dying landscape and the political-judicial chill of late autumn.

register

Literary, sets a heavy mood. Reach for it in writing about autumn, courtrooms, war zones, dictatorships — anywhere you want a tone of cold, oppressive severity.