咬文齧字 — “To nitpick over words”
咬文齧字 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to nitpick over words”. To quibble over wording; to be overly punctilious about wording, often losing sight of the main point or spirit. Literally, “to bite words and gnaw characters”.
Frequency
咬文齧字 Pronunciation and Pinyin
咬文齧字 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 咬文齧字
这位编辑在审稿时总是喜欢咬文齧字，让作者感到压力很大。
The editor always likes to nitpick over words when reviewing manuscripts, which puts a lot of pressure on the authors.
Idioms Related to 咬文齧字
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啮zì字quibble over words
- yǎo咬wén文jiáo嚼zì字to quibble 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 咬文齧字
What does 咬文齧字 mean?
咬文齧字 (yǎo wén niè zì) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to nitpick over words”.
How do you pronounce 咬文齧字?
咬文齧字 is pronounced yǎo wén niè zì in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 咬文齧字 literally mean?
Literally, 咬文齧字 means “to bite words and gnaw characters”. It is used to mean “to nitpick over words”.
What is the Chinese definition of 咬文齧字?
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”。