also: ほうしょう
self-indulgence; licentiousness; dissolution
Describes unrestrained, self-indulgent behavior, often with a negative moral connotation. Used as a noun or adjectival noun (放縦な).
His self-indulgent lifestyle finally ruined him.
Some lament that more young people are indulging in licentiousness.
放縦 means unrestrained self-indulgence with no regard for limits, the opposite of 節度's sense of proper restraint.
Standard kanji form; the reading ほうじゅう is more common than ほうしょう.
Rare reading; ほうじゅう is the usual reading.
Compound of 放 (release, let go) and 縦 (vertical, unrestrained). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the combination conveys the idea of letting oneself go freely.