咬文嚼字
yǎo wén jiáo zì
to fuss over wording; to weigh every word
Character by character
咬yǎo
bite
bite
文wén
phrases
phrases
嚼jiáo
chew
chew
字zì
characters
characters
Example
写合同的时候，每一句话都得咬文嚼字。
When drafting a contract every sentence must be weighed word by word.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
Often a criticism (pedantic), sometimes praise (careful).
Learn this in Lesson 82 · HSK 6–7: 汉字的演变 (How the characters evolved)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
Open the lesson →