nitpick about wording; quibble over expressions
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesverb
to nitpick about wording; to quibble over the choice of words; to find fault with how something is phrased
informalTypically used to describe someone who focuses excessively on minor linguistic details, word choice, or phrasing rather than the overall meaning, often in a critical or pedantic manner. The 'r' suffix (儿) indicates a colloquial, northern Chinese pronunciation pattern (erhua).
Nǐ你
bié别
zǒng总
shì是
yǎo咬
zì字
yǎn眼
r儿
，
dà大
jiā家
míng明
bai白
yì意
si思
jiù就
xíng行
le了
。
Stop nitpicking about the wording all the time; as long as everyone understands the meaning, that's enough.
Tā他
shuō说
huà话
ài爱
yǎo咬
zì字
yǎn眼
r儿
，
cháng常
cháng常
ràng让
rén人
gǎn感
dào到
gān尴
gà尬
。
He loves to quibble over words when he speaks, often making people feel awkward.
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Hé合
tóng同
tiáo条
kuǎn款
yào要
kàn看
qīng清
chu楚
，
kě可
bù不
néng能
yǎo咬
zì字
yǎn眼
r儿
bèi被
zuān钻
le了
kòng空
zi子
。
You must read the contract terms carefully, but don't get caught up in nitpicking the wording and end up with loopholes.