📖 Meaning
This idiom means to nitpick and find fault with trivial matters. Literally, it describes blowing away dirt to search for scars—obsessively seeking out minor imperfections. It is equivalent to the more common idiom 吹毛求疵.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the Qing dynasty scholar Ye Shiguan's work 'Chui Wang Lu' (Blowing the Net Records), in a section discussing errors in the chronology of Tinglin (referring to the eminent scholar Gu Yanwu). The author praised Shi Zhou's chronology as the only work of its kind in two hundred years, and clarified that he was not trying to nitpick minor flaws. Rather, because the work was fundamentally excellent, he wished only to remove small blemishes so it could achieve pure perfection.
💡 Example Usage
他对待同事总是吹垢索瘢，令人难以忍受。
He is always nitpicking his colleagues, making him unbearable to work with.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 吹垢索瘢
- Pinyin: chuī gòu suǒ bān
- Literal Translation: blow, dirt, seek, scar
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4