# death by a thousand paper cuts

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/death-by-a-thousand-paper-cuts
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

An ultimate negative outcome, such as the failure of a project, brought about by an excessive number of bureaucratic hurdles.

## Examples

- The project failed from death by a thousand paper cuts.
- Too many small fees lead to death by a thousand paper cuts.
- We lost the contract because of death by a thousand paper cuts, as every small rule change slowed us down.
- Our renovation is facing death by a thousand paper cuts because the city inspector keeps finding tiny errors in our paperwork every single week.
- The once-thriving company eventually collapsed, suffering a slow death by a thousand paper cuts caused by endless administrative delays and minor policy shifts.

## Origin

A blend of the phrases death by a thousand cuts and paper cut, the idiom employs paper as a metonym for the inconveniences of bureaucracy. The original thousand cuts refers to *lingchi*, a form of imperial Chinese execution involving a slow and systematic removal of portions of the body. In the modern variation, the blade is replaced by stationery; the terminal result remains the same, though the paperwork is considerably more tedious.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.