be pedantic; nitpick about wording
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 4 examplesverb
to be pedantic about wording; to nitpick over words and phrases; to pay excessive attention to literal wording
derogatoryTypically used derogatorily to criticize someone who focuses excessively on literal interpretation of words rather than the underlying meaning or substance.
Tā他
xiě写
wén文
zhāng章
zǒng总
shì是
yǎo咬
wén文
jiáo嚼
zì字
，
dú读
qǐ起
lái来
hěn很
shēng生
yìng硬
。
He is always overly pedantic when writing, making his work read very stiffly.
Tǎo讨
lùn论
wèn问
tí题
shí时
bù不
yào要
yǎo咬
wén文
jiáo嚼
zì字
，
yào要
zhuā抓
zhù住
hé核
xīn心
。
Don't nitpick over wording when discussing problems; focus on the core issues.
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Tā他
shì是
gè个
xǐ喜
huan欢
yǎo咬
wén文
jiáo嚼
zì字
de的
lǎo老
xué学
jiū究
。
He is a pedantic old scholar who loves to split hairs over words.
Nǐ你
zhè这
yàng样
yǎo咬
wén文
jiáo嚼
zì字
yǒu有
yì意
si思
ma吗
？
Is there any point in being so pedantic like this?