尋章摘句

First attested in the Book of Wu, from Zhao Zi's response to Cao Pi's mocking question on whether Sun Quan is learned:

吳王浮江萬艘，帶甲百萬，任賢使能，志存經略。雖有餘閒，博覽書傳歷史，籍採奇異，不效諸生尋章𢳣句而已。 [Literary Chinese, trad.]

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吴王浮江万艘，带甲百万，任贤使能，志存经略。虽有余闲，博览书传历史，籍采奇异，不效诸生寻章摘句而已。 [Literary Chinese, simp.]

From: circa 280, Wei Zhao, Xue Ying, et al., The Book of Wu, quoted by Pei Songzhi in The Annotations to The Records of the Three Kingdoms (《三國志·吳書·孫權傳》)

Wú wáng fú jiāng wàn sōu, dài jiǎ bǎiwàn, rènxián shǐnéng, zhì cún jīnglüè. Suī yǒu yúxián, bólǎn shūzhuàn lìshǐ, jiè cǎi qíyì, bù xiào zhūshēng xún zhāng zhāi jù éryǐ. [Pinyin]

The King of Wu leads a million soldiers on his myriad warships, planning and managing state affairs by employing capable men. Although he has leisure time, he uses it to read extensively about history in order to acquire novel knowledge, instead of following other literati who seek only flowery words and expressions.

尋章摘句

1. to cull phrases but not meaning; to write in clichés without originality

   • 尋章摘句老雕蟲，曉月當簾掛玉弓。 [Literary Chinese, trad.]
     寻章摘句老雕虫，晓月当帘挂玉弓。 [Literary Chinese, simp.]

     From: 813–816, Li He,《南園十三首》(Thirteen Songs on the South Garden), Poem 6, transl. Lu Bingqun（卢炳群）

     Xúnzhāngzhāijù lǎo diāochóng, xiǎoyuè dāng lián guà yùgōng. [Pinyin]

     All day, you load your writings with clichés,
     Till dawn, when a crescent moon hangs over the curtains.

   • 孔明曰：“尋章摘句，世之腐儒也，何能興邦立事。” [Written Vernacular Chinese, trad.]
     孔明曰：“寻章摘句，世之腐儒也，何能兴邦立事。” [Written Vernacular Chinese, simp.]

     From: Romance of the Three Kingdoms, circa 14^th century CE

     Kǒngmíng yuē: “Xúnzhāngzhāijù, shì zhī fǔrú yě, hé néng xīngbāng-lìshì.” [Pinyin]

     Kongming said, “Those pedants who spend all their time selecting phrases to write passages are incompetent when it comes to strengthening their states and accomplishing great deeds.”

• 摘句尋章／摘句寻章 (zhāijùxúnzhāng)