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繁文縟節

简繁文缛节 · 繁繁文縟節

Mandarin · pinyin fán wén rù jié

convoluted and overelaborate (document)
unnecessarily elaborate writing
mumbo-jumbo

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Characters in this entry

繁: fán · complicated, complex, difficult
文: wén · literature, culture, writing
縟: Look up this written character
節: Look up this written character
缛: rù · decorative, adorned, elegant
节: jié · knot, node, joint; section

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

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Mandarin tones

2–2–4–2 · fan2 wen2 ru4 jie2

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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.

繁文縟節 · find source passages ↗ · 繁文缛节 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

faan4 man4 juk6 zit3

Cantonese word readings for 繁文縟節. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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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) cumbersome and tricky rules and etiquette; red tape

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

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