做文章  (zuò wénzhāng) to make an issue of; write an essay

Usage:

“做文章”的本义是写文章。比喻抓住一件事发议论或者投入很大的精力做一件事。经常用的结构是“在……上(大)做文章”。
The original meaning of “做文章”(zuò wénzhāng)is writing an essay. It is a metaphorical saying of making an issue of something or laying emphasis on doing something. The structure “在……上(大)做文章” (zài ……shàng (dà ) zuò wénzhāng)is often used.

Sentences:

1、Jìn jǐ nián, shāngjiā fēnfēn zài yuèbǐng de bāozhuāng shàng dà zuò wénzhāng, yǐ xīyǐn gāoduān xiāofèizhě.
近几年,商家纷纷在月饼的外包装上大做文章,以吸引高端消费者。
Recent years, businessmen have been making a big fuss about the moon-cake package to lure high-end consumers.

2、Fǎnduìpài yìzhí méi néng zài cáizhèng shàng zhǎodào kě zuò wénzhāng de dìfāng.
反对派一直没能在财政上找到可做文章的地方。
The opposition faction has ever been unable to make a big issue on the finance.

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