Chinese Idioms - 鸡蛋里挑骨头

vann0000

February 14, 2009, 12:15 AM posted in General Discussion

鸡蛋里挑骨头 - Looking for a bone in an egg

(jī dàn lĭ tiāo gŭ tou)
There is of course no bone in an egg. Therefore, if one wants to find a bone inside an egg, it is out of the question. The phrase looking for a bone in an egg means trying deliberately to find a fault with someone or something faultless.

The idiom is often used to describe someone who is very picky, who finds faults with others on purpose. If you have a colleague or neighbour who is a nit-picker, you had better be cautious. In addition, you yourself had better not be such a picky person.
Examples

① A: One moment he says the size is too big, another moment he says the colour is too dark. What shall I do?  B: He is just looking for a bone in an egg.

② A: I think Manager Liu is a very strict person.  B: Do you think so? I think he is often simply looking for a bone in an egg. Sometimes, we have done a very good job, but he still complains. and that, looking rather dissatisfied.

鸡蛋里面没有骨头，要从鸡蛋里找出骨头来，那当然是不可能的。“鸡蛋里挑骨头”的意思就是，从没有毛病的人身上或没有问题的事物中故意找毛病，找问题。  这个俗语常用来指有的人过分挑剔，故意为难别人。如果你身边有这样的人，你可要当心。还有，你最好不要做“鸡蛋里挑骨头”的人哦。
例句
① A：他一会儿说尺寸有点大，一会儿又说颜色太深。我怎么办呀？ B：他这是鸡蛋里挑骨头，没事找事。
② A：我看咱们刘经理是个很严格的人。 B：严格？我看他多半是鸡蛋里挑骨头，有时我们已经做得很好了，他还说这说那，一副很不满意的样子