diff --git a/addons/note/views/note_views.xml b/addons/note/views/note_views.xml
index 9e413c27866..33ab45a07a2 100644
--- a/addons/note/views/note_views.xml
+++ b/addons/note/views/note_views.xml
@@ -215,26 +215,22 @@
       name="Notes"
       sequence="3"
       action="note.action_note_note"
-      web_icon="note,static/description/icon.png"/>
-
-    <menuitem
-      id="menu_note_configuration"
-      name="Configuration"
-      sequence="100"
-      parent="menu_note_notes"
-      groups="base.group_no_one"/>
-
-    <menuitem
-      id="menu_notes_stage"
-      name="Stages"
-      parent="menu_note_configuration"
-      action="note.action_note_stage"
-      sequence="21"/>
-
-    <menuitem
-      id="notes_tag_menu"
-      parent="menu_note_configuration"
-      action="note_tag_action"
-      sequence="22"/>
+      web_icon="note,static/description/icon.png">
+        <menuitem
+          id="menu_note_configuration"
+          name="Configuration"
+          sequence="100"
+          groups="base.group_no_one">
+            <menuitem
+              id="menu_notes_stage"
+              name="Stages"
+              action="note.action_note_stage"
+              sequence="21"/>
+            <menuitem
+              id="notes_tag_menu"
+              action="note_tag_action"
+              sequence="22"/>
+        </menuitem>
+    </menuitem>
 
 </odoo>
diff --git a/odoo/import_xml.rng b/odoo/import_xml.rng
index 016f21dca8b..d7d28d6c4b0 100644
--- a/odoo/import_xml.rng
+++ b/odoo/import_xml.rng
@@ -234,8 +234,9 @@
         </rng:optional>
         <rng:optional><rng:attribute name="groups"/></rng:optional>
         <rng:optional><rng:attribute name="active"/></rng:optional>
+    </rng:define>
+    <rng:define name="submenuitem_contents">
         <rng:optional>
-            <!-- menu can't have both children and action -->
             <rng:choice>
                 <rng:attribute name="action"/>
                 <rng:oneOrMore>
@@ -247,19 +248,25 @@
     <rng:define name="menuitem">
         <rng:element name="menuitem">
             <rng:ref name="menuitem_attrs"/>
-            <rng:optional>
-                <rng:choice>
-                    <!-- can't have submenus with icons -->
+            <rng:choice>
+                <!-- a root menu can have a web_icon, an action and children -->
+                <rng:group>
+                    <rng:optional><rng:attribute name="web_icon"/></rng:optional>
+                    <rng:optional><rng:attribute name="action"/></rng:optional>
+                    <rng:zeroOrMore><rng:ref name="submenuitem"/></rng:zeroOrMore>
+                </rng:group>
+                <!-- a non-root menu can have a parent and either an action or submenus -->
+                <rng:group>
                     <rng:attribute name="parent"/>
-                    <rng:attribute name="web_icon"/>
-                </rng:choice>
-            </rng:optional>
+                    <rng:ref name="submenuitem_contents"/>
+                </rng:group>
+            </rng:choice>
         </rng:element>
     </rng:define>
-    <!-- menuitem except no parent (is implicit) or web_icon attributes -->
     <rng:define name="submenuitem">
         <rng:element name="menuitem">
             <rng:ref name="menuitem_attrs"/>
+            <rng:ref name="submenuitem_contents"/>
         </rng:element>
     </rng:define>