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繁文缛节 (fán wén rù jié) — red tape; excessive, pointless formalities

Definition

A formal/literary idiom meaning pointless, over-elaborate formalities — 'red tape.' More bookish than plain 手续 ('procedures'), which simply names the steps themselves.

idiom
red tapeexcessivepointless formalities

Examples

  • 繁文缛节，。
    Shēn qǐng qiān zhèng de shǒu xù zhēn shì fán wén rù jié, ràng rén tóu téng.
    The visa application paperwork is such red tape — it gives people headaches.
  • 繁文缛节，。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī jiǎn huà le fán wén rù jié, gōng zuò xiào lǜ tí gāo le bù shǎo.
    This company cut out the excessive formalities, and work efficiency improved a lot.
  • 繁文缛节，。
    Wǒ men bù xū yào zhè xiē fán wén rù jié, zhí jiē tán zhèng shì ba.
    We don't need all this red tape — let's get straight to business.

Origin

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mìsilk
Sound part声符shēngfú
敏
敏mǐn繁fán
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

繁 pairs 敏, a sound part, with 糸, meaning silk.

Open 繁 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

The current form 文 shows a man with head, arms, legs, and chest; the tattoo marks on the chest are no longer drawn.

Open 文 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 節; 节 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
⺮Written in full as竹zhúbamboo
Sound part声符shēngfú
即
即jí節jié
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 節 pairs ⺮ (bamboo) with 即, which gives the sound; the bamboo part points to a node of bamboo. The simplified 节 is a later abbreviation.

Open 节 →
Appears in
Government & PoliticsIdioms & Set Phrases

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