Definition
大做文章 is a fixed idiomatic phrase that literally means 'to write many articles', but is used figuratively to criticize someone for exaggerating a minor issue or making a fuss over something. It functions as a verb-object structure (大做 + 文章), and while it typically stays as a set unit, separable forms are occasionally possible (e.g., 大做了不少文章). You'll hear it in contexts where someone is blowing something out of proportion or exploiting a topic unnecessarily.
v.o.
to make a big issue out of somethingto make a fussto blow things out of proportion
Examples
- 大做文章,。Tā zǒng shì zài xiǎo shì shàng dà, ràng rén hěn fán.He always makes a big fuss over small matters — it's really annoying.
- ,。Méitǐ zài zhè jiàn shì shàng dà zuò le bù shǎo wén zhāng, xīyǐn le gōngzhòng de zhùyì.The media made a big issue out of this incident, attracting the public's attention.
- 大做文章,。Bié dà le, zhè zhǐ shì gè xiǎo wèntí.Don't make a big deal out of it — it's just a small problem.
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.