This paper quotes several passages from Natsume Soseki's novels.
interpreting a passage out of context; quoting out of context
Describes the act of taking a passage and interpreting or using it without considering the surrounding text. Often seen in the compound 断章取義.
See also: 断章取義
His criticism takes the other person's words out of context and distorts them.
断章取義 refers to interpreting something conveniently by ignoring the context.
quoting out of context; taking a passage out of context
From 断 (cut off, sever) and 章 (chapter, passage). The literal meaning is 'cut-off passage', referring to a fragment of a text.