龜毛 Guīmáo

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龜毛

Guimao

龟毛 · Guīmáo
In one line
Overly meticulous, nitpicky, or finicky about small details and trivial matters — literally translating to “turtle hair.”
Definition

形容词 ADJ.

Literally “turtle hair.” Since turtles don’t actually have hair, having “turtle hair” is a classic Taiwanese slang expression used to describe someone who is excessively fussy, overly demanding, or agonizingly particular about minor details.

It can range from a playful tease among friends to a genuine complaint about someone who makes simple tasks unnecessarily complicated.

You’ll often hear variations like 你毛很多 (Nǐ máo hěnduō, “you have a lot of hairs”), meaning you are being too picky.

Examples

例句

我wǒ知zhī道dào他tā是shì个ge很hěn龟guī毛máo的de人rén
I know he is an overly meticulous person.
他tā超chāo龟guī毛máo，如果rúguǒ事情shìqíng不能bùnéng照zhào他tā的de想xiǎng法fǎ进行jìnxíng，就jiù会huì发fā脾pí气qì
He is super finicky; if things don’t go his way, he throws a temper tantrum.
你nǐ真zhēn的de很hěn龟guī毛máo耶yē
You are really being so nitpicky!
Dialogue

对话

A
在zài吗ma？
Are you there?
B
找zhǎo我wǒ吗ma？
Looking for me?
A
回huí来lái的de时shí候hòu帮bāng我wǒ买mǎi牛niú肉ròu炒chǎo饭fàn！谢xiè谢xiè
When you come back, could you please bring me some beef fried rice! Thanks.
B
7-11旁páng边biān那nà家jiā吗ma？
The one next to the 7-11?
A
对duì，然rán后hòu问wèn他tā牛niú肉ròu是shì不bù是shì台tái湾wān的de，如rú果guǒ不bù是shì就jiù不bù要yào买mǎi
Yeah, and ask them if the beef is from Taiwan. If not, don’t buy it.
B
不bù是shì就jiù不bù要yào买mǎi吗ma？
If it’s not, don’t buy it?
A
对duì，然rán后hòu不bù要yào洋yáng葱cōng，还hái有yǒu要yào辣là可kě是shì不bù要yào辣là椒jiāo籽zǐ。就jiù这zhè样yàng，感gǎn谢xiè你nǐ～
Right, and no onions, plus make it spicy but without chili seeds. That’s it, thanks!
A
……..
……..
A
啊ā还hái有yǒu葱cōng多duō一yí点diǎn
Oh and extra green onions!
B
你nǐ真zhēn的de很hěn龟guī毛máo耶yē！
You are so finicky!
Don’t mix these up

辨析

People often confuse different ways to describe fussy or particular behaviors in Chinese. Here is how they compare:

TermWhat it actually meansTone
龟毛guīmáo Overly meticulous, fussy, or nitpicky about details or trivial things Casual, teasing, or exasperated
挑剔tiāotì Fussy, hypercritical, or constantly finding faults in things or people Neutral to critical
讲究jiǎngjiu Particular about quality, taste, or standards in a refined, positive way Complimentary or appreciative

The quick test: 龟毛 is about annoying fussiness over details, 挑剔 is about being hard to please, and 讲究 means having good taste and high standards.

Flashcards

快闪卡

Tap a card to flip it.

龟毛
guīmáo
Overly meticulous or nitpicky about small details
挑剔
tiāotì
Hypercritical / finding faults
讲究
jiǎngjiu
Particular about quality / having good taste
毛很多
máo hěnduō
Having a lot of “hairs” — slang for being overly picky
Beyond Chinese

跨语言

The concept of being fussy or nitpicky exists everywhere, expressed through unique imagery in Korean and Japanese.

Korean · 까다롭다
까다롭다 (kkadaropda, “picky/finicky”)
그 사람은 입맛이 좀 까다로워요.
That person is a bit picky about food.
Japanese · 細かい
細かいことにうるさい (komakai koto ni urusai)
彼は細かいことにうるさいから、一緒に仕事をするのが大変だ。
He is fussy about small details, so it’s hard to work with him.
Etymology fact
The term “guīmáo” (literally “turtle hair”) originates from the fact that real turtles do not have hair. Trying to find hair on a turtle implies looking for faults or making an issue out of something that simply isn’t there, which evolved to describe someone who is overly meticulous, hesitant, and nitpicky over trivial matters.
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