Definition

1. Verb:
   • To be a stickler for, to be finical about: To pay excessive attention to minor details or rules, often to the point of being overly rigid or inflexible.
   • To stand on ceremony, to have scruples: To be overly formal or hesitant due to excessive consideration for rules, etiquette, or propriety, especially in social situations.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Anh ấy quá câu nệ những điều tiểu tiết. (He is too much of a stickler for details.)
  • Đừng câu nệ về hình thức; hãy tập trung vào nội dung chính. (Don't be too finical about the form; focus on the main content.)
  • Chúng ta là bạn thân, đừng câu nệ làm gì. (We are close friends, don't stand on ceremony.)

Advanced Usage

• "câu nệ chữ nghĩa": To be overly pedantic about wording or terminology.

  • Nhà phê bình đó thường câu nệ chữ nghĩa. (That critic is often overly pedantic about wording.)

• "câu nệ lễ nghi": To be overly concerned with or bound by rituals and formalities.

  • Xã hội hiện đại không nên quá câu nệ lễ nghi cổ hủ. (Modern society should not be too bound by outdated rituals.)

Variants and Related Words

• Nệ (verb): A less common, abbreviated form carrying a similar meaning of being bound by conventions or formalities. Often used in classical or literary contexts.
  • Cổ nhân thường nệ lễ. (The ancients were often bound by ceremony.)

Synonyms

• Cố chấp: To be stubborn, obstinate (shares the connotation of inflexibility but not necessarily about details).
• Khắt khe: To be strict, stringent (emphasizes severity of standards).
• Máy móc: To be mechanical, rigid (emphasizes a lack of flexibility).

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

• Câu nệ vào...: To be a stickler about/for... (This is the standard construction with the preposition "vào").
  • Ông ấy hay câu nệ vào các quy tắc cũ. (He often sticks rigidly to the old rules.)

Related Idioms

• "Câu nệ tiểu tiết": To be a stickler for details (a common collocation).

  • Làm việc cần cẩn thận nhưng đừng câu nệ tiểu tiết. (Work carefully but don't get bogged down in minor details.)

• "Không câu nệ": To not stand on ceremony; to be informal and straightforward.

  • Tính anh ấy rất thoải mái, không câu nệ. (He has a very easy-going personality and doesn't stand on ceremony.)

verb

1. To be a stickler for, to be finical about
   • câu nệ những điều tiểu tiết
     to be a stickler for details
   • quá câu nệ về câu văn
     to be too finical about style
2. To stand on ceremony, to have scruples
   • chỗ thân tình với nhau, đừng câu nệ
     between good friends, don't stand on ceremony