松绑

鬆綁

sōngbǎng

verb HSK 7 #15,434

Meanings

1 to untie; to loosen bonds
2 to relax restrictions; to deregulate

Characters

to bind; to tie up

Literally 'loosen the bindings' — physically untying someone, or metaphorically lifting restrictions.

Examples

警察给嫌疑人松了绑。

Jǐngchá gěi xiányírén sōngle bǎng.

The police untied the suspect.

政府对房地产市场开始松绑。

Zhèngfǔ duì fángdìchǎn shìchǎng kāishǐ sōngbǎng.

The government has started to relax restrictions on the real estate market.

Tips

usage

松绑 is a favorite in economic news — it always means deregulation or policy loosening: 政策松绑 (policy relaxation), 限购松绑 (loosening purchase restrictions). It's punchier than the formal 放宽.

Stroke Order

松 sōng

绑 bǎng