Chinese
English Dictionary
染指
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PinYin rǎn zhǐ
Simplified 染指
Traditional 染指
- to dip a finger (idiom); fig. to get one's finger in the pie
- to get a share of the action
- abbr. for 染指於鼎|染指于鼎
Chinese meanings
- rǎnzhǐ
春秋时，郑灵公请大臣们吃甲鱼，故意不给子公吃，子公很生气，就伸指向盛甲鱼的鼎里蘸上点汤，尝尝滋味走了（见于《左传》宣公四年）。后世用‘染指’比喻分取非分的利益。