挑拨 (tiǎo bō) — to incite disharmony, to sow discord, to instigate
Definition
挑拨 is a transitive verb meaning to sow discord between people or groups, with a negative connotation. Unlike 挑衅 (direct provocation toward someone) or 怂恿 (urging one person to act), 挑拨 specifically targets relationships between parties.
verb
to incite disharmonyto sow discordto instigate
Examples
- 挑拨。Tā xǐ huan zài péng you zhī jiān tiǎo bō guān xì.He likes to sow discord among friends.
- 挑拨，。Gōng sī lǐ yǒu rén tiǎo bō shì fēi, dǎo zhì tóng shì bù hé.Someone in the company is stirring up trouble, causing colleagues to fall out.
- ，挑拨。Liǎng guó guān xì běn yìng yǒu hǎo, què bèi wài bù shì lì tiǎo bō.The relations between the two countries should have been friendly, but were instigated by external forces.
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