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HSK
7-9

to nitpick

Character Composition


Characters

Pinyin

tiao1ti5 tiāoti

Alternative Pinyin

tiao1ti1 tiāotī

Meaning


Primary

to nitpick

Alternatives

nitpick, nitpicking, nitpicks, nitpicked, nitpicky, picky

Mnemonic


挑剔 To nitpick is 挑 to select something and then 剔 to pick out every little small detail from it that isn't 100% perfect. You aren't literally 剔 picking out something, so we say that part [5] quietly.

Usage


他 总是 挑剔 别人 的 工作。

He always nitpicks others' work.

她 对 食物 特别 挑剔。

She is especially nitpicky about food.

老板 挑剔 了 报告 的 每 个 细节。

The boss nitpicked every detail of the report.

Similar Meaning Words