挑剔 (tiāo tī) describes someone who is excessively critical or hard to please—often about small details, standards, or quality. The character 挑 means 'to pick out' or 'to select', while 剔 means 'to remove' or 'to clean out', together evoking the image of carefully selecting and discarding imperfections. This word carries a slightly negative connotation, suggesting unreasonable standards rather than healthy discernment.

It’s commonly used to describe people’s attitudes toward food, service, appearance, work output, or relationships. For example, a parent might be called 挑剔 when they reject multiple outfits before their child’s school photo, or a chef may be praised for being 挑剔 about ingredient freshness—but even then, it hints at strictness bordering on fussiness. It functions as both an adjective ('a挑剔 person') and a verb ('to be挑剔 about something'), typically followed by 关于, 对, or a noun object.