網開一面 wǎng kāi yī miàn

DEFINITIONS

  1. open the net on one side (idiom); let the caged bird fly
  2. to give one's opponent a way out
  3. lenient treatment

CHARACTERS

網 wǎng net, web; network
開 kāi open; initiate, begin, start
一 yī one; a, an; alone
面 miàn face; surface; plane; side, dimension