📖 Meaning
This idiom means exceeding one's proper bounds and taking over another person's duties. It derives from the idea that even if the cook neglects his work, the officiating priest should not cross the sacrificial vessels to do the cooking himself. It describes someone who meddles in affairs outside their own responsibility.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from 'Zhuangzi: Free and Easy Wandering' (《庄子·逍遥游》), a Daoist text from the Warring States period. The passage states that even if the cook fails to prepare the meal, the sacrificial priest should not cross over the ritual wine and meat vessels to take his place. Cheng Xuanying of the Tang dynasty explained that 庖人 refers to the official in charge of the kitchen, while 尸祝 refers to the priest who performs sacrifices at the ancestral temple, with 樽 being a wine vessel and 俎 a meat vessel. The idiom thus illustrates the Daoist principle of respecting proper boundaries and not overstepping one's designated role.
💡 Example Usage
此事自有专人负责，你何必代越庖俎？
This matter already has someone specifically in charge—why must you overstep your bounds and do it yourself?
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 代越庖俎
- Pinyin: dài yuè páo zǔ
- Literal Translation: act for, cross over, cook, sacrificial meat stand
- Category: Action
- Characters: 4