评头论足 (píng tóu lùn zú) — to make frivolous or overly critical remarks (originally about a woman's appearance); to nitpick
Definition
A chengyu meaning to nitpick and pass petty judgment on others — often their looks or choices. Negative in tone: the speaker is criticizing the nitpicker, not joining in.
idiom
to make frivolous or overly critical remarks (originally about a woman's appearance)to nitpick
Examples
- 评头论足。Tā zǒng shì xǐ huan duì bié rén de chuān zhuó píng tóu lùn zú.He always likes to make petty remarks about other people's clothes.
- 评头论足，。Bú yào duì bié rén de shēng huó fāng shì píng tóu lùn zú, měi gè rén dōu yǒu zì jǐ de xuǎn zé.Don't nitpick about other people's lifestyles — everyone has their own choices.
- ，评头论足。Zhè bù diàn yǐng suī rán bù wán měi, dàn yě bù gāi bèi rú cǐ píng tóu lùn zú.This movie isn't perfect, but it shouldn't be so harshly nitpicked.
Origin
Compound word构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate
Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.
评 and 论 both mean to comment, while 头 and 足 stand for appearance from top to bottom.
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