染指

rǎnzhǐ

verb #18,321

Meanings

1 to get involved in
2 to get one's finger in the pie
3 to meddle in

Characters

to dye; to stain

Examples

他开始染指房地产行业。

Tā kāishǐ rǎnzhǐ fángdìchǎn hángyè.

He started getting involved in the real estate industry.

他们不让外人染指。

Tāmen bú ràng wàirén rǎnzhǐ.

They do not let outsiders get involved.

Tips

history

From the Zuozhuan: a duke dipped his finger into another ruler's turtle soup without permission. 染指于鼎 literally means "dip a finger in the tripod cauldron" — now used metaphorically for meddling or seizing a share.

Stroke Order

染 rǎn

指 zhǐ