咬文啮字 — “To quibble over words”
咬文啮字 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to quibble over words”. To be pedantic about wording; to dwell on minutiae of language, ignoring the broader meaning. Literally, “bite words and gnaw characters”.
Frequency
咬文啮字 Pronunciation and Pinyin
咬文啮字 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 咬文啮字
写文章时，我们应该注重表达思想，而不是一味地咬文啮字
When writing an article, we should focus on expressing ideas, rather than merely quibbling over words.
Idioms Related to 咬文啮字
More idioms starting with 咬
- yǎo咬rén人gǒu狗er儿bù不lù露chǐ齿Dangerous people hide their true strength
- yǎo咬jiāng姜gā呷cù醋live a hard, impoverished life
- yǎo咬zì字yǎn眼ér儿nitpick over wording
- yǎo咬dìng定yá牙guān关grit teeth and persevere
- yǎo咬dìng定yá牙gēn根Grit teeth and persevere
- yǎo咬dé得cài菜gēn根endure hardship and live frugally
- yǎo咬wén文niè齧zì字to nitpick over words
- yǎo咬yá牙qiè切chǐ齿gnash or grit teeth
- yǎo咬yá牙hèn恨chǐ齿gnash teeth in hatred or anger
- yǎo咬jǐn紧yá牙guān关grit teeth and persevere
- yǎo咬jǐn紧yá牙gēn根grit one's teeth to endure hardship
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Open the tool →Questions about 咬文啮字
What does 咬文啮字 mean?
咬文啮字 (yǎo wén niè zì) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to quibble over words”.
How do you pronounce 咬文啮字?
咬文啮字 is pronounced yǎo wén niè zì in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 咬文啮字 literally mean?
Literally, 咬文啮字 means “bite words and gnaw characters”. It is used to mean “to quibble over words”.
What is the Chinese definition of 咬文啮字?
形容过分地斟酌字句。多指死扣字眼而不注意精神实质。同“咬文嚼字”。