Definitions

rǒng extraneous; redundant; superfluous; busy schedule
rǒng variant of 冗[rǒng]

Etymology

A cover-cloth  on a table 

About

The character 冗 is an ideogram depicting a person under a roof or cover (upper component 冖), with the lower component 几 representing a person or small stool. Its original meaning referred to individuals who were idle or without specific duties, occupying space without contributing productively within a household or administrative setting. This sense of idleness naturally evolved into the modern meaning of something superfluous, redundant, or unnecessarily lengthy. As an adjective, it is commonly used to criticize bureaucratic inefficiencies, bloated organizations, or wordy writing, highlighting an excess that hinders rather than helps.

Example Sentences Hide

这个演讲太长了。

Zhège yǎnjiǎng tài rǒngcháng le.

This speech is too long-winded.

删除余的数据。

Shānchú rǒngyú de shùjù.

Delete redundant data.

公司正在减少员。

Gōngsī zhèngzài jiǎnshǎo rǒngyuán.

The company is reducing redundant staff.

长的会议让人疲惫。

Rǒngcháng de huìyì ràng rén píbèi.

Long-winded meetings make people tired.

系统清理了余文件。

Xìtǒng qīnglǐ le rǒngyú wénjiàn.

The system cleaned up redundant files.

他的文章避免词赘句。

Tā de wénzhāng bìmiǎn rǒngcí zhuìjù.

His articles avoid redundant words and phrases.

这个程序需要优化余代码。

Zhège chéngxù xūyào yōuhuà rǒngyú dàimǎ.

This program needs to optimize redundant code.

避免杂的信息可以提高效率。

Bìmiǎn rǒngzá de xìnxī kěyǐ tígāo xiàolǜ.

Avoiding cluttered information can improve efficiency.