短语 to the letter 的意思是一字不差的严格执行或遵守规定。

例句

The soldier obeyed his commander's orders to the letter - and it cost him his life.

I'll give you my special cake recipe – but if you want it to turn out well, you must follow it to the letter. Don't change anything at all.

请注意

The letter of the law 这个表达的意思是法律的条文，尤其是指其字面的意义。

例句

The judge's decision was criticised by the newspapers. They said he was too strict and had stuck to the letter of the law even though the criminal was very sorry.