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Chinese/Dictionary entry

挑三拣四

tiāo sān jiǎn sìdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
to be picky / to be choosy
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-1e8e3b1b5978fba3. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

挑三揀四 挑三拣四 [tiao1 san1 jian3 si4] /to be picky/to be choosy/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 挑三揀四

  • 挑
    tiāo

    to carry on a shoulder pole / to choose / to pick / to nitpick

    tiǎo

    to raise / to dig up / to poke / to prick / to incite / to stir up

  • 三
    sān

    three / 3

    Sān

    surname San

  • 拣
    jiǎn

    to choose / to pick / to sort out / to pick up

  • 四
    sì

    four / 4

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.