[mass noun]a system of government in which most of the important decisions are taken by state officials rather than by elected representatives 官僚制度 ■[count noun]a state or organization governed or managed according to such a system 官僚机构,官僚国家 ■[count noun]the officials in such a system, considered as a group or hierarchy 官僚阶层 ■excessively complicated administrative procedure, seen as characteristic of such a system 官僚作风 the unnecessary bureaucracy in local government. 地方政府无谓的官僚作风。
语源
early 19th cent.: from French bureaucratie, from bureau (see bureau)