The word "染指" is formed by combining the character "染" (to dye or stain) with "指" (finger), directly deriving from a historical incident recorded in the "Zuo Zhuan" where a man dipped his finger into a pot of turtle soup to which he had no right, thus creating a compound that literally means "to stain the finger" and metaphorically signifies encroaching on or improperly involving oneself in something that belongs to another.