1.
to start; to begin; to get involved in (an activity)
To begin engaging in an activity or field. Can be neutral but often carries a negative connotation when referring to undesirable activities.
若い頃に絵画に手を染めた。
I started painting when I was young.
学生時代に演劇に手を染めた。
I got into theater during my student days.
政治に手を染めてからもう二十年になる。
It's been twenty years since I got into politics.
2.
to get one's hands dirty; to become involved in (wrongdoing)
To become implicated in or start participating in illegal, immoral, or undesirable activities.
彼は犯罪に手を染めてしまった。
He got involved in crime.
その世界に一度手を染めたら抜けられない。
Once you get involved in that world, you can't get out.
生活に困って悪事に手を染めてしまう人もいる。
Some people end up getting involved in wrongdoing because they're struggling to make ends meet.
IDIOM STRUCTURE:
手 (hand) + を + 染める (to dye)
Literally "to dye one's hands" - implies getting deeply involved in something, as if the activity has stained one's hands.
NUANCE:
- Can be neutral when referring to arts, hobbies, or professions
- Often negative when referring to illegal or immoral activities
- Suggests deep involvement, not superficial engagement
- The "dye" metaphor implies lasting involvement that's hard to wash away
GRAMMAR:
〜に手を染める - to get involved in ~
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 犯罪に手を染める - to get involved in crime
- 悪事に手を染める - to engage in wrongdoing
- 政治に手を染める - to get into politics
- 芸術に手を染める - to take up art
SIMILAR EXPRESSIONS:
- 手を出す - to get involved in (also often negative)
- 首を突っ込む - to stick one's nose into
- 足を踏み入れる - to step into, to enter (a field)
REGISTER:
Neutral to literary. Common in written Japanese and dramatic contexts.
Related Words
Related:
手を出す (to get involved in)