寻衅 (xún xìn) — to pick a quarrel; to provoke

Definition

寻衅 (xúnxìn) is a formal verb meaning to deliberately provoke or pick a fight — used in legal and news writing rather than everyday speech. It often collocates with 滋事 (e.g. 寻衅滋事 'picking quarrels and provoking trouble'), a set phrase in Chinese law.

verb

to pick a quarrelto provoke

Examples

寻衅，。
Tā zǒng ài xún xìn nào shì, dà jiā dōu bù xǐ huan tā.
He always likes to pick quarrels and cause trouble; nobody likes him.
衅，。
Tā zuó tiān zài jiē shàng xún le yí cì xìn, bèi jǐng chá dài zǒu le.
Yesterday he picked a quarrel on the street and was taken away by the police.
寻衅。
Fǎ lǜ yán lì dǎ jī xún xìn zī shì de xíng wéi.
The law strictly cracks down on acts of picking quarrels and provoking trouble.

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.