Collins Chinese Dictionary Plus (3rd edition), 2011:
咬文嚼字 yǎo wén jiáo zì pay excessive attention to wording
- 咬文嚼字未必能写(寫)出好文章。 Yǎo wén jiáo zì wèibì néng xiěchū hǎo wénzhāng. Paying excessive attention to wording doesn't necessarily produce a good essay.