bẻ họe
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb:
- To split hairs, to nitpick: To criticize or argue about very small, unimportant details; to find fault in a petty or overly meticulous manner.
- To cavil, to quibble: To raise trivial and often annoying objections.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Anh ấy luôn bẻ họe từng lỗi nhỏ trong báo cáo. (He always splits hairs over every minor mistake in the report.)
- Đừng có bẻ họe nữa, đại ý thế là được rồi. (Stop nitpicking; the general idea is fine.)
- Cô ấy thích bẻ họe cách dùng từ của người khác. (She likes to quibble over other people's word choice.)
Advanced Usage
- "bẻ họe vặt": To nitpick over trivial things. This emphasizes the pettiness of the criticism.
- Ông giám đốc mới hay bẻ họe vặt nhân viên. (The new director often nitpicks employees over trivial matters.)
Variants and Related Words
- Bẻ (verb): To break, to bend. This is the root verb, with "bẻ họe" being an idiomatic extension.
- Chê bai (verb): To criticize, to disparage. This is a more general term for criticism, not specifically about minor details.
- Xét nét (verb): To scrutinize, to examine critically (often with a negative connotation). It is close in meaning but can imply a slightly more formal or severe examination than "bẻ họe".
Synonyms
- Cà khịa (verb, colloquial): To pick a fight, to provoke over minor issues. It has a more confrontational tone.
- Nói xoáy (verb): To speak in a roundabout, critical way. It implies indirect criticism rather than direct fault-finding.
Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)
- Bẻ loi (verb, Southern Vietnamese dialect): Similar to "bẻ họe," meaning to nitpick or find fault.
- Bà ấy hay bẻ loi chuyện nấu ăn của con dâu. (She often nitpicks her daughter-in-law's cooking.)
Related Idioms
- "Vạch lá tìm sâu": Literally "to part leaves to look for worms," meaning to go out of one's way to find faults. This idiom conveys a stronger sense of actively searching for problems.
- Anh ta có tật vạch lá tìm sâu trong mọi việc. (He has a habit of splitting hairs in everything.)
- "Bới lông tìm vết": Literally "to ruffle feathers to find blemishes," meaning to dig up dirt or find faults where none are obvious. Similar to "vạch lá tìm sâu."
- Split hairs, find fault with