The word 苛刻 (kēkè) is a compound adjective formed by combining two characters with related meanings to intensify the concept of harshness. The first character, 苛 (kē), originally depicted a type of harsh grass or weed, and by extension came to mean "severe", "demanding", or "oppressive". The second character, 刻 (kè), means "to carve" or "to engrave", and metaphorically extends to "incisive", "harshly strict", or "unkind". When combined, they create a synergistic meaning that goes beyond either character alone, describing an attitude or standard that is unreasonably severe, nitpicky, and lacking in leniency, much like something that is both coarsely rough and sharply cutting.