# 吹毛求疵

chuī máo qiú cī

Find fault over tiny defects

## Meaning & wording

**Literally:** Blow apart fur to seek flaws

**Register:** Critical · general

[People & connection](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/topics/relationships)

## When to use it

Criticize excessive fault finding.

Careful safety checks are different.

## Understanding the expression

Blowing fur apart to inspect every hair suggests a search so close that almost any object could fail it. The phrase criticizes people who hunt for tiny faults instead of judging the whole fairly. It often concerns reviews, arguments, or treatment of others. The problem is not high standards themselves, but a lack of proportion that turns small imperfections into grounds for rejection.

## Examples

别对新人吹毛求疵。

### Traditional Chinese

別對新人吹毛求疵。

bié duì xīn rén chuī máo qiú cī 。

Do not nitpick at the newcomer.

他连标点都吹毛求疵。

### Traditional Chinese

他連標點都吹毛求疵。

tā lián biāo diǎn dōu chuī máo qiú cī 。

He finds fault with even the punctuation.

这次检查不是吹毛求疵。

### Traditional Chinese

這次檢查不是吹毛求疵。

zhè cì jiǎn chá bú shì chuī máo qiú cī 。

This inspection is not petty fault finding.

她受够了老板吹毛求疵。

### Traditional Chinese

她受夠了老闆吹毛求疵。

tā shòu gòu le lǎo bǎn chuī máo qiú cī 。

She has had enough of her boss's nitpicking.

## Sources & reference checks

Original explanations and examples from Chinese Idioms Almanac. Source-checked October 6, 2026.

- [CC-CEDICT · forms & pronunciation](https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?page=worddict&wdqb=%E5%90%B9%E6%AF%9B%E6%B1%82%E7%96%B5)

- [Ministry of Education · 成語典](https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/idiomView.jsp?ID=68&webMd=1&la=0)

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