Definition
抠字眼 is an informal expression meaning to nitpick someone's choice of words by focusing excessively on individual words rather than the overall meaning. It often carries a slightly critical or playful tone. As a separable verb (离合词), you can insert objects, numbers, or aspects between 抠 and 字眼 — for example, 抠什么字眼 ('what nitpicking over words') or 抠了一下午字眼 ('nitpicked over wording all afternoon').
v.o.
to nitpick someone's wordingto quibble over phrasing
Examples
- 抠字眼，。Tā zǒng xǐhuan kōu zì yǎn, ràng tǎolùn méi fǎ jìnxíng.He always likes to nitpick wording, making the discussion impossible.
- ？。Nǐ kōu shénme zìyǎn? Dàjiā dōu míngbai tā de yìsi.Why are you nitpicking his words? Everyone understands what he meant.
- ，。Bié kōu zhèxiē zìyǎn le, zhěngtǐ nèiróng gèng zhòngyào.Stop nitpicking these words; the overall content is more important.
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