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插手 (chā shǒu) — to get involved in, to take part in (often implying unwanted interference); to meddle, to poke one's nose into

Definition

插手 means 'to meddle' — implies an unwelcome poke into others' affairs, unlike 参与 (legitimate participation) or 介入 (intervention in a conflict). It usually appears with 别 and sounds reproachful, like 'poking your nose into'.

verb
to get involved into take part in (often implying unwanted interference)to meddleto poke one's nose into

Examples

  • 插手，。
    Zhè jiàn shì nǐ zuì hǎo bié chā shǒu, ràng wǒ zì jǐ chǔ lǐ.
    You'd better not get involved in this; let me handle it myself.
  • ，。
    Wǒ xiǎng bāng máng, kě shì wán quán chā bú shàng shǒu.
    I wanted to help, but I couldn't get involved at all.
  • 插手。
    Tā bù xǐ huan bié rén chā shǒu tā de sī rén shì wù.
    He doesn't like others meddling in his personal affairs.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

插chāinsert
手shǒuhand

The image of 插 a 手 into a matter expresses getting involved or meddling.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 插 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

手 draws a five-fingered human hand: the top line is a bent middle finger, and the horizontal lines show the other four fingers.

Open 手 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Conflict & Agreement5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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