肃 sù — Gansu; respectful
升旗的时候，大家都严肃地站着。Shēng qí de shí hou, dà jiā dōu yán sù de zhàn zhe.During the flag-raising, everyone stands solemnly.
Common words: 严肃 (yán sù)、肃然 (sù rán)、肃立 (sù lì)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "respectful"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "respectful", including 肃 (sù), 恭 (gōng). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "respectful" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 肃 (sù), 恭 (gōng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span sù, gōng — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 肃 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 肃 sùGansu; respectfulUseful words: 严肃, 肃然
- 恭 gōngrespectfulUseful words: 恭喜, 恭敬
Common words for these 2 "respectful" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 肃 (sù) — so "respectful" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
严肃yán sù(of an atmosphere etc) solemn; grave; serious; (of a manner etc) earnest肃然sù ránrespectful; solemn; awed肃立sù lìto stand respectfully; (of trees, mountains) standing tall and majestic恭喜gōng xǐto congratulate; (interj.) congratulations!恭敬gōng jìngdeferential; respectful恭维gōng weito praise; to speak highly of; compliment; praise
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "respectful".
恭 gōng — respectful
恭喜你考上了理想的大学！Gōng xǐ nǐ kǎo shàng le lǐ xiǎng de dà xué!Congratulations on getting into your ideal university!
Common words: 恭喜 (gōng xǐ)、恭敬 (gōng jìng)、恭维 (gōng wei)
All 2 characters
Open 肃、恭 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.