📖 Meaning
This idiom means to deliberately find fault with others and nitpick over trivial shortcomings. It is a variant of the more common idiom 吹毛求疵. It describes someone who is overly critical and searches for flaws where none truly exist.
📜 Origin Story
批毛求疵 is a variant form of the well-known idiom 吹毛求疵, which traces back to classical Chinese legalist thought. The original expression appears in the Han Feizi (《韩非子·大体》), where the sage ruler is described as one who does not blow apart hairs to seek tiny blemishes. Over time the phrase came to symbolize fault-finding and unreasonable criticism. No specific independent origin story is recorded for the variant 批毛求疵 itself.
💡 Example Usage
他对别人的工作总是批毛求疵，让人很难与他合作。
He is always nitpicking other people's work, making it very hard to work with him.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 批毛求疵
- Pinyin: pī máo qiú cī
- Literal Translation: pick, hair, seek, flaw
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4