official rules that seem more complicated than necessary and prevent things from being done quickly繁文缛节；官僚作风- All ministers are agreed on the need to cut bureaucratic red tape.所有部长都同意有必要削减官僚主义的繁琐程序。
- You have to go through endless red tape to get a residence permit.你必须经过无休止的繁琐手续才能得到居留许可。
Extra Examples- He says he was almost put out of business by Government red tape.他说，他几乎被政府的繁文规定而停业。
- Plans may take longer and involve more red tape than you expect.计划实施起来也许比预料中花更长时间，手续更繁杂。
Topics Politicsc2Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- administrative
- bureaucratic
- government
- …
verb + red tape- cut
- reduce
- be entangled in
- …
See full entry Word Originearly 18th cent.: so named because of the red or pink tape used to bind official documents.