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.
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