The Chinese word 严峻 (*yánjùn*) is a compound formed by combining two semantically similar characters to intensify and specify meaning: 严 (*yán*), which carries connotations of strictness, severity, and tightness, and 峻 (*jùn*), which originally denotes steepness (as of a mountain) and by extension implies harshness, high standards, or difficulty. Their fusion creates a single adjective that metaphorically describes a situation, condition, or demeanor as being intensely severe, stern, and formidable—like facing a steep, unyielding cliff—thereby blending the notions of rigorous strictness and daunting difficulty into a unified concept of "grim," "grave," or "austere."