Definition
拘泥 is a formal verb (often used as a stative verb) that describes being overly rigid or pedantic about rules, forms, or details — a negative trait that implies inflexibility. It typically appears in the pattern 拘泥于 + noun (e.g., 拘泥于形式 'be a stickler for formality'). The second sense, 'rely only on,' is narrower and usually appears in negative constructions like 不拘泥于 ('not limited to').
v./s.v.
to be overly rigid about (formalities, rules, details)to be a stickler forto limit oneself toto rely only on (a narrow approach)
Examples
- 拘泥，。Tā zuò shì tài jū ní yú xíngshì, fǎn'ér yǐngxiǎng le xiàolǜ.He is too rigid about formalities when doing things, which actually hurts efficiency.
- 拘泥。Xiě wénzhāng bùbì jū ní yú mǒu zhǒng gùdìng de jiégòu.When writing an essay, you don't have to stick rigidly to a fixed structure.
- ，拘泥。Wǒmen yīngdāng línghuó biàntōng, búyào jū ní yú jiù guānniàn.We should be flexible and not be constrained by old ideas.
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