câu nệ
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- 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 (Modern society should not be too bound by outdated rituals.)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
- To be a stickler for, to be finical about
- câu nệ những điều tiểu tiếtto be a stickler for details
- quá câu nệ về câu vănto be too finical about style
- To stand on ceremony, to have scruples
- chỗ thân tình với nhau, đừng câu nệbetween good friends, don't stand on ceremony