Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Pedantic; overly scrupulous about minor details or principles: The term describes a person who rigidly adheres to a specific rule, principle, or viewpoint, often in a stubborn or inflexible manner, paying excessive attention to trivial formalities.
   • Nitpicking; prone to arguing over insignificant points: It characterizes a tendency to be argumentative or difficult by insisting on minor, often unimportant, details.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Anh ta rất chấp nhứt về giờ giấc. (He is very pedantic about schedules.)
  • Đừng chấp nhứt từng câu chữ như vậy. (Don't be so nitpicky about every single word.)
  • Tính chấp nhứt của ông ấy khiến mọi người khó làm việc chung. (His pedantic nature makes it difficult for everyone to work with him.)

Advanced Usage

• The term often carries a negative connotation, implying stubbornness and an unreasonable focus on minor issues that hinders practicality or harmony.

Variants and Related Words

• Chấp nhất (adj): This is a common alternate spelling of "chấp nhứt" with the same meaning.
• Câu nệ (adj): To be rigidly attached to formalities or conventions; to be formalistic.
  • Ông ấy hay câu nệ lễ nghi. (He is often rigid about rituals.)

Synonyms

• Pedantic: Excessively concerned with minor details or rules.
• Nitpicking: Looking for small, unimportant errors or faults.
• Fastidious: Very attentive to accuracy and detail, sometimes excessively so.
• Dogmatic: Inclined to lay down principles as undeniably true.

Related Idioms

• Chấp nhứt bất nhị: To stubbornly adhere to one thing and reject all others; to be inflexibly attached to a single way.
  • Làm việc phải linh hoạt, đừng chấp nhứt bất nhị. (You must be flexible in your work, don't be so stubbornly attached to one way.)