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找茬 (zhǎo chá) — to nitpick, to pick fault (deliberately finding minor flaws); to pick a quarrel, to provoke

Definition

找茬 means to deliberately pick fights or nitpick — looking for problems that may not really exist. Usually negative, describing someone who is being argumentative or fault-finding on purpose.

verb
to nitpickto pick fault (deliberately finding minor flaws)to pick a quarrelto provoke

Examples

  • 找茬，。
    Tā zǒng xǐ huan zhǎo chá, duì shuí dōu bù mǎn yì.
    He always likes to nitpick and is never satisfied with anyone.
  • ？
    Nǐ zhè shì zài zhǎo wǒ de chá ma?
    Are you trying to pick a quarrel with me?
  • ，找茬。
    Bié méi shì zhǎo shì, gù yì zhǎo chá.
    Don't make trouble out of nothing and deliberately nitpick.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

找zhǎofind
茬cháfault

To 找 for 茬, i.e. deliberately find minor faults or trouble.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
戈
戈gē找zhǎo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

找 pairs 扌 (hand) with 戈 as a sound part. The idea that it shows a hand looking for a halberd is only a memory trick.

Open 找 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 茬 →
Appears in
Conflict & Agreement

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