📖 Meaning
To deliberately pick faults and search for errors where there are none. It describes someone who is overly critical and nitpicky, examining trivial details to find non-existent problems.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom literally means to split apart a hair in order to find a flaw in it. It is a variant of the more common expression 披毛求疵, both conveying the idea of fault-finding to an unreasonable degree. There is no single classical origin story associated with this particular variant.
💡 Example Usage
他对下属的工作总是披毛求瑕，让人难以忍受。
He always picks flaws in his subordinates' work, making it unbearable for everyone.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 披毛求瑕
- Pinyin: pī máo qiú xiá
- Literal Translation: split hair, seek flaw
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4