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繁文縟礼 (hanbunjokurei) Japanese meaning: red tape | Kotomora
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じょく
礼れい
に
は
うんざり
する
。
I'm fed up with the red tape at the government office.
The red-tape procedures of this company are a waste of time.
Kanji 繁 luxuriant, thick, overgrown 文 sentence, literature, style Related words お 役やく 所しょ 仕し 事ごと A more colloquial term for bureaucratic inefficiency, while 繁文縟礼 is a formal yojijukugo emphasizing excessive formalities.
形けい 式しき 主しゅ 義ぎ Refers to formalism or excessive adherence to form, but 繁文縟礼 specifically highlights the cumbersome paperwork and procedures.
Etymology A yojijukugo of Chinese origin, combining 繁文 (complicated writing) and 縟礼 (elaborate ceremonies), together meaning excessive formalities and red tape.