网开三面 wǎng kāi sān miàn

DEFINITIONS

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

CHARACTERS

网 wǎng
HSK 3
net; network; KangXi radical 122
开 kāi
HSK 1
open; initiate, begin, start
三 sān
HSK 1
three
面 miàn
HSK 1
face; surface; plane; side, dimension