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官樣文章

简官样文章 · 繁官樣文章

Mandarin · pinyin guān yàng wén zhāng

officialese
red tape

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Characters in this entry

官: guān · official, public servant
樣: yàng · shape, form, pattern, style
文: wén · literature, culture, writing
章: zhāng · composition; chapter, section
样: yàng · shape, form, pattern, style

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

1–4–2–1 · guan1 yang4 wen2 zhang1

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) red tape; excessive formality and routine required before official action can be taken
(idiomatic) officialese; language used in some official statements, characterised by jargon and obscure, wordy phrasing
(idiomatic) any language characterised by circumlocution and jargon, usually hard to understand

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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