咬文嚼字

yǎowén-jiáozì
idiom

Meanings

  1. 1 to pay excessive attention to wording
  2. 2 to split hairs over phrasing
  3. 3 pedantic

Examples

HSK 3
Xué yǔyán bùnéng zhǐ yǎowénjiáozì, yào lǐjiě yìsi.
When learning a language, don't just nitpick the words - you need to grasp the meaning.
HSK 6
Tā xiě wénzhāng zǒng ài yǎowénjiáozì, kàn de rén tóuténg.
He always splits hairs over wording in his essays, which is exhausting to read.

Tips

usage
Usually carries a mild negative tone: the person is fixating on word choice at the expense of substance. Occasionally used positively for careful editing.

Stroke Order

yǎo
wén
jiáo