only rigidly adhere to words and expressions , without regard to the general meaning of the whole writing
The Chinese idiom, Pinyin is x ú NH á ngsh ǔ mॸ, which means that you can only read sentences, but can't understand the meaning; it also means that you work hard on words. From the biography of lanterns in Jingde.
Idiom explanation
Seek the line: read line by line; count the ink: read word by word.
The origin of Idioms
In Song Dynasty, Shi Daoyuan's Jingde zhuandenglu said, "if you recite scriptures in your mouth, you can't read them in your body. I don't understand Buddhism's tact, but I'm looking for a few words in vain. "
Idiom usage
It has a derogatory meaning.
Examples
At the beginning of my study, I tried my best to count my words. After a long time, I had my own opinions. Zhu Zishu, a book written by Chen Li in Qing Dynasty.
only rigidly adhere to words and expressions , without regard to the general meaning of the whole writing
The clouds and the mist disperse - yún tún wù sàn
Tortoise inscriptions and bird tracks - guī wén niǎo jì