橫生枝節

to deliberately complicate an issue (idiom)

horizontal / across / crosswise / horizontal stroke (in Chinese characters) / to place (sth) flat (on a surface) / to cross (a river, etc) / in a jumble / chaotic / (in fixed expressions) harsh and unreasonable / violent

harsh and unreasonable / unexpected

to grow without restraint / overflowing with / to happen unexpectedly

to be born / to give birth / life / to grow / raw / uncooked / student

branch / classifier for sticks, rods, pencils etc

branches and knots / fig. side issue / minor peripheral problem

see 節骨眼|节骨眼[jie1 gu5 yan3]

festival / holiday / node / joint / section / segment / part / to economize / to save / to abridge / moral integrity / classifier for segments, e.g. lessons, train wagons, biblical verses / CL:個|个[ge4]

joint; node / (bound form) section; segment / solar term (one of the 24 divisions of the year in the traditional Chinese calendar) / seasonal festival / (bound form) to economize; to save / (bound form) moral integrity; chastity / classifier for segments: lessons, train wagons, biblical verses etc / knot (nautical miles per hour)