找茬

zhǎochá

verb #16,529

Meanings

他总是找茬，让人很烦。

Tā zǒngshì zhǎochá, ràng rén hěn fán.

He's always picking faults, which is really annoying.

别故意找茬，大家和气一点。

Bié gùyì zhǎochá, dàjiā héqì yīdiǎn.

Don't deliberately pick a fight; let's all be civil.

usage

找茬 can mean both 'to spot differences' (as in a game) and 'to deliberately find fault / pick a quarrel.' Context determines the meaning.

memory

Think of 找 (look for) + 茬 (a stub or snag) — someone looking for little snags to complain about.

找 zhǎo

茬 chá