挑三拣四

挑三揀四
tiāosān-jiǎnsì
idiom #25,878

Meanings

  1. 1 to be picky
  2. 2 to be choosy
  3. 3 to nitpick

Examples

Zhǎo gōngzuò bùnéng zǒngshì tiāosānjiǎnsì, yǒujī huì jiùyào zhuāzhù.
When looking for a job, you can't always be picky — seize opportunities when they come.
Tā duì shíwù tiāosānjiǎnsì, ràng chúshī hěn tóuténg.
She is very fussy about food, which gives the chef headaches.

Tips

memory
Picking () three and selecting () four — you keep sorting through everything, picking this one, rejecting that one. The numbers and just emphasize the repeated, excessive picking.

Stroke Order

tiāo
sān
jiǎn