<p>You may mean &quot;找茬&quot;, which means &quot;pick a hole in&quot; and has the same pronunciation as &quot;找茶&quot;.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-09-12T06:21:03.637Z
2024-09-12T06:21:03.637Z
Jie Zhu
<blockquote>
<p>Where did this come from?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>找茬：见&quot;找碴&quot;。<br />
找碴：<br />
找茬（zhǎo chá）是指找岔子。<br />
找茬（zhǎo chá）means  “look for problems”.</p>
<p>出自于鲁迅《书信集·致山上正义》：<br />
(It) comes from 鲁迅《Letter Collection The Path To Justice on the Mountain》<br />
“假如村民赢了，他们的一伙就来找碴斗殴。”<br />
“If the villagers win, they will come looking for trouble and an excuse to fight.”</p>
<p>这不是向中国人找茬的时候。<br />
This is not the time to pick on the Chinese! (Kamala Harris please note!)</p>
<p>But 找茶？： look for some tea? April is the picking season, I believe, upon that lawless mountain!</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-09-12T18:11:54.103Z
2024-09-12T18:11:54.103Z
Pedroski
<p>I looked at a few official dictionaries like Xiandai Hanyu Guifan Cidian.</p>
<p>There are several entries for what seems to be more or less the same thing.</p>
<ol>
<li>找碴</li>
<li>找茬</li>
<li>找碴儿</li>
<li>找茬儿</li>
</ol>
<p>It seems to be a colloquialism, possibly a regional one (方言 / topolect). Apparently 碴 is more commonly used than 茬 here.</p>
<p>It's a part of other words like 找碴寻衅, 找碴桃错.</p>
<p>The main entry in CEDICT is:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>找茬 找茬 [zhao3 cha2] /to pick fault with/to spot the differences/to nitpick/to pick a quarrel/to find complaint with/</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-09-12T12:58:22.827Z
My Pleco dictionary (including Hanyu Da Cidian) gives a sample sentence from 鲁迅：假如村民赢了，他们的一伙就来找碴斗殴。
mudskipper
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-09-12T12:23:25.537Z
2024-09-12T12:23:25.537Z
goPlayerJuggler
<p>&quot;<strong>找茬</strong>&quot;, 同&quot;<strong>找碴</strong>&quot; - 挑毛病，故意找人麻煩. (nitpicking; deliberately looking-trouble with someone by finding tiny faults in things he did)</p>
<ul>
<li><p>茬 - 1. 庄稼收割后余留在地里的短茎和根 (The short stems and roots left in the ground after a crop has been harvested); 2. 短而硬的头发、胡子 (Short, stiff hair and beard)</p>
</li>
<li><p>碴 - 1. 小碎块 (tiny pieces of broken things); 2. 器物上的破口 (chipped edge of a ceramic/glass container)</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>Frequently used phrases:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>&quot;夠了, 別再找茬了&quot;- &quot;Enough, stop looking for tiny faults.&quot;</p>
</li>
<li><p>&quot;他總是找我的茬&quot; - &quot;He always finds faults with me.&quot;</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>You can perform a Google search to learn more about the everyday uses of &quot;找茬&quot;, and its equivalents.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-09-12T21:48:31.643Z
2024-09-12T23:59:49.810Z
2024-09-12T23:59:49.810Z
r13
<p>First a little about me and why I have this question. I'm a non-native speaker of the Chinese language. Although I can fluently speak Chinese, I sometimes don't get the slang/common verbal language that Chinese-speaking people use. This is one of those. I've heard and even used this phrase myself, but I never really understood what it meant <em>exactly</em>, and even more so, where/how it first appeared.</p>
<p>Now, here's the question: What <em>exactly</em> is the meaning of 找碴? Is it offensive or derogatory? Can it be spoken to a person who's older or your own parents, or can it only be used by parents when lecturing their children? Where did this come from? Are there any additional resources I can check out? I searched the web all over, it seems like this phrase doesn't even exist. There's also no post on this site regarding this phrase. However, I heard it be spoken more than I can count, so it certainly <em>does</em> exist. Can anyone please give me some insight into this? I'll appreciate any help. Thanks in advance!</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-09-12T06:03:16.123Z
In what context have you heard this phrase? I searched the web and found [找茶](https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E6%89%BE%E8%8C%B6/7050689) easily. It is the name of a Taiwanese flavor ice tea shop
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-09-12T06:37:38.347Z
@TangHo It should've meant (at least I assume) "causing trouble". It's based on context.
Admirer of the dragon flag
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-09-12T06:39:33.130Z
I guess I found the actual term: 找碴.
Admirer of the dragon flag
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-09-12T07:13:06.007Z
Is it offensive or derogatory? Well, because of the tonal nature of the language, people play about or rather hide or disguise the real meaning or intended meaning of phrases to scold or insult someone without the insulted person realizing it. Cantonese is choke full of such phrases.
Wayne Cheah
<meaning><phrase><slang><phrase-meaning>
What is the origin of 找碴?
# What is the origin of 找碴?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2024-09-12)

First a little about me and why I have this question. I'm a non-native speaker of the Chinese language. Although I can fluently speak Chinese, I sometimes don't get the slang/common verbal language that Chinese-speaking people use. This is one of those. I've heard and even used this phrase myself, but I never really understood what it meant *exactly*, and even more so, where/how it first appeared.

Now, here's the question: What *exactly* is the meaning of 找碴? Is it offensive or derogatory? Can it be spoken to a person who's older or your own parents, or can it only be used by parents when lecturing their children? Where did this come from? Are there any additional resources I can check out? I searched the web all over, it seems like this phrase doesn't even exist. There's also no post on this site regarding this phrase. However, I heard it be spoken more than I can count, so it certainly *does* exist. Can anyone please give me some insight into this? I'll appreciate any help. Thanks in advance!

**Tags:** meaning, phrase, slang, phrase-meaning

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: In what context have you heard this phrase? I searched the web and found [找茶](https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E6%89%BE%E8%8C%B6/7050689) easily. It is the name of a Taiwanese flavor ice tea shop  
> **username_0**: @username_1 It should've meant (at least I assume) "causing trouble". It's based on context.  
> **username_0**: I guess I found the actual term: 找碴.  
> **username_2**: Is it offensive or derogatory? Well, because of the tonal nature of the language, people play about or rather hide or disguise the real meaning or intended meaning of phrases to scold or insult someone without the insulted person realizing it. Cantonese is choke full of such phrases.  

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## 4 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2024-09-12. Score: 3

You may mean "找茬", which means "pick a hole in" and has the same pronunciation as "找茶".


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### Answer by username_4 on 2024-09-12. Score: 2

> Where did this come from?

找茬：见"找碴"。  
找碴：  
找茬（zhǎo chá）是指找岔子。  
找茬（zhǎo chá）means “look for problems”.

出自于鲁迅《书信集·致山上正义》：  
(It) comes from 鲁迅《Letter Collection The Path To Justice on the Mountain》  
“假如村民赢了，他们的一伙就来找碴斗殴。”  
“If the villagers win, they will come looking for trouble and an excuse to fight.”

这不是向中国人找茬的时候。  
This is not the time to pick on the Chinese! (Kamala Harris please note!)

But 找茶？： look for some tea? April is the picking season, I believe, upon that lawless mountain!


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### Answer by username_5 on 2024-09-12. Score: 2

I looked at a few official dictionaries like Xiandai Hanyu Guifan Cidian.

There are several entries for what seems to be more or less the same thing.

1. 找碴
2. 找茬
3. 找碴儿
4. 找茬儿

It seems to be a colloquialism, possibly a regional one (方言 / topolect). Apparently 碴 is more commonly used than 茬 here.

It's a part of other words like 找碴寻衅, 找碴桃错.

The main entry in CEDICT is:

> 找茬 找茬 [zhao3 cha2] /to pick fault with/to spot the differences/to nitpick/to pick a quarrel/to find complaint with/

> **Comments:**
> **username_6**: My Pleco dictionary (including Hanyu Da Cidian) gives a sample sentence from 鲁迅：假如村民赢了，他们的一伙就来找碴斗殴。  

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### Answer by username_7 on 2024-09-12. Score: 2

"**找茬**", 同"**找碴**" - 挑毛病，故意找人麻煩. (nitpicking; deliberately looking-trouble with someone by finding tiny faults in things he did)

* 茬 - 1. 庄稼收割后余留在地里的短茎和根 (The short stems and roots left in the ground after a crop has been harvested); 2. 短而硬的头发、胡子 (Short, stiff hair and beard)
* 碴 - 1. 小碎块 (tiny pieces of broken things); 2. 器物上的破口 (chipped edge of a ceramic/glass container)

Frequently used phrases:

* "夠了, 別再找茬了"- "Enough, stop looking for tiny faults."
* "他總是找我的茬" - "He always finds faults with me."

You can perform a Google search to learn more about the everyday uses of "找茬", and its equivalents.


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