The word according to the dictionary

Chinese

	insert; stick in; pierce insert; stick in; pierce; to take part in; to interfere; to interpose	hand; convenient; ‑er
trad. (插手)	插	手
simp. ^#(插手)	插	手
Literally: “insert one's hand”.

Pronunciation 1

Mandarin
(Pinyin): chāshǒu

(Zhuyin): ㄔㄚㄕㄡˇ
Cantonese (Jyutping): caap³ sau²
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): chhah-chhiú / chhap-chhiú

(Teochew, Peng'im): cah⁴ ciu²

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)
  - Hanyu Pinyin: chāshǒu
  - Zhuyin: ㄔㄚㄕㄡˇ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: chashǒu
  - Wade–Giles: chʻa¹-shou³
  - Yale: chā-shǒu
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: chashoou
  - Palladius: чашоу (čašou)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʈ͡ʂʰä⁵⁵ ʂoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
  - Homophones:
    ^edit
    ^edit
    叉手
    插手
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: caap³ sau²
  - Yale: chaap sáu
  - Cantonese Pinyin: tsaap⁸ sau²
  - Guangdong Romanization: cab³ seo²
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰaːp̚³ sɐu̯³⁵/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, variant in Taiwan)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chhah-chhiú
  - Tâi-lô: tshah-tshiú
  - Phofsit Daibuun: zhahchiuo
  - IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Taipei): /t͡sʰa(ʔ)³²⁻⁵³ t͡sʰiu⁵³/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /t͡sʰa(ʔ)⁵ t͡sʰiu⁵⁵⁴/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /t͡sʰa(ʔ)³²⁻⁴¹ t͡sʰiu⁴¹/
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chhap-chhiú
  - Tâi-lô: tshap-tshiú
  - Phofsit Daibuun: zhapchiuo
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /t͡sʰap̚⁵⁻²⁴ t͡sʰiu⁵⁵⁴/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /t͡sʰap̚³²⁻⁵ t͡sʰiu⁵³/
  - IPA (Xiamen, Taipei): /t͡sʰap̚³²⁻⁴ t͡sʰiu⁵³/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /t͡sʰap̚³²⁻⁴ t͡sʰiu⁴¹/

Note:

chhah-chhiú - “to poke one's nose into; to put one's hand in”;
chhap-chhiú - “to take part (Mainland China); to poke one's nose into (Taiwan)”.

(Teochew)
- Peng'im: cah⁴ ciu²
- Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: tshah tshiú
- Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰaʔ²⁻⁴ t͡sʰiu⁵²⁻²¹/

Verb

插⫽手 (verb-object)

to poke one's nose into; to meddle in
- 現在幾十隻手插到地方，使地方的事情不好辦。
  现在几十只手插到地方，使地方的事情不好办。
  From: 1956, 毛澤東 (Mao Zedong), 《論十大關係》 (On the Ten Major Relationships), 《毛澤東選集》. English translation based on the Foreign Languages Press edition
  Xiànzài jǐshí zhī shǒu chā dào dìfāng, shǐ dìfāng de shìqíng bù hǎo bàn.
  At present scores of hands are reaching out to the localities, making things difficult for them.
to take part; to lend a hand
(Taiwanese Hokkien) to put one's hand in (one's pocket, muff, etc.)

Synonyms

(to meddle in):

edit

伸手 (shēnshǒu) (figurative)
問 / 问 (wèn) (literary, or in compounds)
干涉 (gānshè)
干預 (gānyù)
插跤 (Quanzhou Hokkien, Xiamen Hokkien)
沓滴 (Xiamen Hokkien, Taiwanese Hokkien)
過問 / 过问 (guòwèn)

(to take part):

edit

交插 (Hokkien)
加入 (jiārù)
參入 / 参入 (cānrù)
參加 / 参加 (cānjiā)
參插 / 参插 (Min Nan)
參與 / 参与
廁身 / 厕身 (cèshēn) (humble)
插腳 / 插脚 (chājiǎo) (chiefly something one should not participate in)
插足 (chāzú) (figurative, usually derogatory)
插身 (chāshēn) (figurative)
攏場 / 拢场 (long³chan²) (Xiang)
攏邊 / 拢边 (long³ bienn¹) (Xiang)
置身 (zhìshēn)
處身 / 处身 (chǔshēn) (formal)
鬥插 / 斗插 (Xiamen Hokkien, Zhangzhou Hokkien)
鬥插手 / 斗插手 (Xiamen Hokkien, Zhangzhou Hokkien)

Related terms

插口 (chākǒu)

Pronunciation 2

Cantonese
(Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): caap³ sau²

(Taishan, Wiktionary): cap⁴ siu²
Southern Min (Leizhou, Leizhou Pinyin): ca⁷ qiu²

Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: caap³ sau²
  - Yale: chaap sáu
  - Cantonese Pinyin: tsaap⁸ sau²
  - Guangdong Romanization: cab³ seo²
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰaːp̚³ sɐu̯³⁵/
- (Taishanese, Taicheng)
  - Wiktionary: cap⁴ siu²
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰap̚²¹ siu⁵⁵/
Southern Min
- (Leizhou)
  - Leizhou Pinyin: ca⁷ qiu²
  - Sinological IPA: /t͡sʰa⁵⁵ t͡sʰiu³¹/

Noun

插手

(Cantonese, Leizhou Min) pickpocket

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 扒手 (“pickpocket”)

Variety	Location	Words edit
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		扒手
Northeastern Mandarin	Beijing	鑷子把兒, 三隻手
	Taiwan	扒手
	Harbin	三隻手
	Singapore	扒手
Jilu Mandarin	Jinan	扒手
Jiaoliao Mandarin	Yantai (Muping)	三隻手兒
Central Plains Mandarin	Luoyang	扒手
	Wanrong	三隻手
	Xuzhou	三隻手, 倆夾兒, 賆家子 dated
	Sokuluk (Gansu Dungan)	溜娃子, 溜娃兒
Lanyin Mandarin	Yinchuan	三隻手
Southwestern Mandarin	Chengdu	扒手, 摸跟兒, 三隻手
	Wuhan	三隻手, 剾包的, 剾巴手
	Liuzhou	扒手, 三隻手, 三隻眼
Jianghuai Mandarin	Nanjing	扒兒手
Jianghuai Mandarin	Yangzhou	扒兒手, 三隻手
Cantonese	Guangzhou	三隻手, 扒手, 插手, 荷包友, 荷包仔, 泡哥, 阿泡
	Hong Kong	三隻手, 扒手, 文雀, 老插 dated
	Taishan	插手
	Dongguan	扒仔, 三隻手
Gan	Nanchang	扒子手
	Lichuan	扒子手
	Pingxiang	三隻手
Hakka	Meixian	撮仔, 爛仔, 撮仔賊
	Yudu	扒手, 拉手
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	剪綹仔
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	剪綹仔
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	剪綹仔
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	剪綹
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	剪綹仔
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	落子
Huizhou	Jixi	三隻手
Jin	Xinzhou	三隻手
Northern Min	Jian'ou	馬仔
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	街扒
Southern Min	Xiamen	三肢手, 剪綹仔, 剪綹
	Quanzhou	三肢手, 剪綹
	Jinjiang	佬仔
	Zhangzhou	剪綹仔, 剪綹
	Zhao'an	鉸仔
	Taipei	剪綹仔, 飛鼠 GT
	New Taipei (Tamsui)	剪綹
	New Taipei (Sanxia)	剪綹仔
	New Taipei (Pingxi)	剪綹仔
	Kaohsiung	剪綹仔
	Kaohsiung (Cijin)	剪綹仔
	Kaohsiung (Hongmaogang, Siaogang)	剪綹仔
	Kaohsiung (Dalinpu, Siaogang)	剪綹仔
	Kaohsiung (Tianliao)	剪綹仔
	Yilan	剪綹仔
	Yilan (Luodong)	剪綹仔
	Yilan (Toucheng)	剪綹仔
	Changhua (Lukang)	剪綹
	Taichung	剪綹仔
	Tainan	剪綹仔, 三肢手
	Tainan (Anping)	剪綹仔
	Hsinchu	剪綹仔
	Kinmen	剪綹仔
	Penghu (Magong)	剪綹仔
	Singapore (Hokkien)	拍沙包, 必搏結
	Shantou	扒龜囝, 扒囝
	Jieyang	扒龜囝
	Leizhou	插手
Southern Pinghua	Nanning (Tingzi)	扒手, 三隻手
Wu	Shanghai	扒兒手, 三隻手, 扒手, 鉗工, 戳兒手
	Suzhou	扒兒手, 三隻手
	Danyang	扒兒手, 三隻手, 扒耳手
	Hangzhou	扒兒手, 三隻手
	Ningbo	三隻手
	Wenzhou	三隻手
	Jinhua	三隻手, 腰弄
Xiang	Changsha	扒手, 三隻手
	Loudi	扒子手, 三隻手
	Hengyang	扒子手

Chinese

Pronunciation 1

Verb

Synonyms

Related terms

Pronunciation 2

Noun

Synonyms

Wikious

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