抬杠 táigàng to argue for the sake of arguing

wher does the phrase originate from?
In the north of China in early times, there existed a custom called "抬杠会(táigànghuì)" argue meeting. On the day of Lantern Festival, some strong men carried the bamboo "杠(gàng)," on which there is a sedan. A clown with a ready tongue sits in it. They carried the sedan in the crowd and the crowd could have quarreling competitions with the clown. So this kind of meeting is the origin of "抬杠(táigàng)" arguing.

What does this phrase mean?
The phrase "抬杠(táigàng)" refers to a kind of cultural custom, which is a clever way for people to blame others or avoid others' blame. The famous cross-talk is a prominent example in which two people take part in a clever quarrel to blame each other. The word "抬(tái)" means you lift something heavy such as a big stone, a sedan. And the word "杠(gàng)" refers to a kind of pole to lift something.

How to use the phrase?
You can use "抬杠(táigàng)" like this: You can say "我受不了他了，他总是跟我抬杠(wŏ shòu bù liăo ta le, ta zŏngshì gēn wŏ táigàng)" I cannot stand him, because he always argues with me. Or you can say "我们一见面就抬杠(wŏmen yī jiànmiàn jiù táigàng)" we argue with each other whenever we meet, to mean that you can not get along well with that person.