手を染める

• 読み: てをそめる
• ローマ字: tewosomeru
• 漢字の分解: 手 (te) — hand; 染 (so/sen) — dye, stain, imbue
• 発音: /te.o.so.me.ɾɯ/

意味

To begin something; to get involved in; to take up an activity — often one that is risky, unsavoury, or a significant new venture.

A verbal phrase from 手 (hand) + 染める (someru — to dye, to stain). The image is of staining one's hands with the colour of a new enterprise. While it can describe any new undertaking, it most commonly appears in contexts involving crime, vice, or morally ambiguous activities, where the 'stain' metaphor is apt. In positive contexts, it can simply mean to embark on a creative or professional field.

例文

1. 若い頃に犯罪に手を染めた過去が、今も彼の人生に影を落としている。
2. 彼女は五十歳を過ぎてから油絵に手を染め、今や個展を開くほどになった。
3. 一度不正に手を染めると、そこから抜け出すのは難しい。

使い方ガイド

場面: crime, arts, career change, moral discourse

トーン: serious

起源と歴史

Metaphor using 染める (someru — to dye), suggesting that involvement in an activity leaves a permanent mark on the hands, as dye would. The connotation of staining links naturally to moral taint.

文化的背景

時代: Classical–Modern

世代: Adults

社会的背景: Universal