These characters combine to create a powerful image: “drilling into the tip of an ox's horn.” As you drill deeper, the horn gets narrower and harder, making the task increasingly difficult and ultimately pointless. This perfectly illustrates the act of pursuing a line of thought that leads nowhere productive.
The idiom `钻牛角尖` reflects a strong cultural value placed on pragmatism, flexibility, and seeing the “bigger picture” (看大局, kàn dàjú). In philosophies like Daoism, there is an emphasis on following the natural flow and not getting bogged down by rigid thinking. To `钻牛角尖` is to do the exact opposite—it's seen as a sign of stubbornness, a lack of wisdom, and an inability to adapt. A helpful Western comparison is “splitting hairs” or “getting lost in the weeds,” but `钻牛角尖` carries a stronger negative connotation of a self-imposed mental trap. While “splitting hairs” might describe a lawyer being pedantic, `钻牛角尖` almost always implies the person is being irrational, difficult, and counterproductive. It's less about intellectual pedantry and more about a stubborn, circular, and frustrating thought process.
This is a very common idiom used in everyday life. It's typically informal and used to describe a behavior or a personality trait.
The connotation is almost universally negative. It suggests the person's focus is not only unhelpful but also potentially frustrating for others.