wade into muddy waters; follow others in wrongdoing
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesverb
to wade into muddy waters; to get involved in shady or troublesome affairs; to follow others in doing bad things
dialectOften used with the diminutive suffix 儿 (tāng hún shuǐr). The phrase carries a strong negative connotation, implying meddling in affairs that are ethically questionable or likely to bring trouble.
Zhè这
zhǒng种
shì事
nǐ你
hái还
shì是
bié别
qù去
tāng蹚
hún浑
shuǐ水
。
You'd better not get involved in this kind of shady business.
Tā他
zǒng总
xǐ喜
huān欢
gēn跟
zhe着
bié别
rén人
tāng蹚
hún浑
shuǐ水
r儿
，
zuì最
hòu后
rě惹
le了
yī一
shēn身
má麻
fan烦
。
He always likes to follow others into trouble, and in the end he brought a heap of problems upon himself.
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Zhè这
shì是
tā他
men们
liǎng两
gè个
zhī之
jiān间
de的
ēn恩
yuàn怨
，
nǐ你
hé何
bì必
qù去
tāng蹚
zhè这
tàng趟
hún浑
shuǐ水
？
This is a personal grudge between the two of them; why do you need to wade into these muddy waters?