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染指 (rǎn zhǐ) — to have a hand in (something improper or illegal); to take a cut of illicit profits

Definition

Literally 'to dip a finger in,' this idiom means to get involved in or take a share of something improper — usually shady dealings, bribes, or illegal profits.

idiom
to have a hand in (something improper or illegal)to take a cut of illicit profits

Examples

  • 染指。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī de gāo guǎn rǎn zhǐ le fēi fǎ jiāo yì.
    The executives of this company had a hand in illegal transactions.
  • 染指。
    Tā yīn wèi rǎn zhǐ hēi shì lì rùn ér bèi diào chá.
    He is under investigation for taking a cut of black market profits.
  • ，染指。
    Zhè jiàn shì hěn mǐn gǎn, nǐ bú yào rǎn zhǐ.
    This matter is sensitive; don't get involved.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

染rǎnstain
指zhǐfinger

染 means to stain and 指 means finger, so the image is getting one's finger stained, hence taking part in something improper.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

染 combines 氵 (water), 九 (hook), and 木 (tree): something hung on a hook from a tree into water to dye it.

Open 染 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
扌Written in full as手shǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
旨
旨zhǐ指zhǐ
Same sound today

The left part 扌 is the hand form 手. The right part 旨 gives the sound.

Open 指 →
Appears in
Crime & PoliceIdioms & Set Phrases

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