Red tape 是什么意思？繁文缛节为什么不用复数？

Red tape 指官僚式的繁文缛节：多余的规定、表格和审批，让简单的事情拖上好几个星期。这个表达带有不满和批评意味。与许多习语不同，它既适合日常交谈，也适合讨论政府和商业的 IELTS 作文：cut red tape for small businesses。

什么情境适合说 red tape？

练习在对话中灵活使用英语词汇

a lot of / too much red tape; cut (through) red tape; red tape + involved in + -ing

My parents spent almost a year fighting red tape just to build a small garage.
The new law is supposed to cut red tape for small businesses.
There's so much red tape involved in hiring foreign staff that many firms give up.

修改前Getting a work visa involves a lot of red tapes.

修改后Getting a work visa involves a lot of red tape.

Red tape 涉及很多表格和规定，因此使用复数看起来似乎合理。但这个表达不按一件件来数，是不可数的，类似 paperwork 或 information。所以这里只去掉了词尾 -s。

Red tape 指阻碍办事的多余规定和文书手续。Paperwork 只是需要填写或处理的文件，本身不带评价：I spent the morning doing paperwork。如果想抱怨手续繁琐，就用 red tape。

Opening our café took months. The problem wasn't money but ___: eleven forms and three visits to the council.

(red tape / the small print)

查看答案

red tape — 十一张表格、三次跑市政办事处，说明问题在于繁琐手续和拖延，也就是 red tape。The small print 指合同中容易被忽略的细则，但这里的问题不是隐藏条款，而是填表和跑办公室。

描述一次办理繁琐手续的经历，例如申请签证、领取证明或办理登记。说明你想办什么，以及花了多久。

Registering my car in a new city took almost two months because of all the red tape at the local office.

用正在学的词造句。LetsWords 检查用法和语法，提供修改与母语解释，再通过复习巩固。