越俎代庖

yuèzǔdàipáo
  1. lit. to go beyond the sacrificial altar and take over the kitchen (idiom); fig. to exceed one's place and meddle in other people's affairs
  2. to take matters into one's own hands

CEDICT

  1. (figurative) to overstep one's bounds and meddle in other's affairs
  2. to overstep one's bounds and meddle in other's affairs

Wiktionary

俎，古代祭祀时，用来盛祭品的礼器。越俎代庖指掌管祭祀的人放下祭器代替厨师下厨。语本《庄子．逍遥游》：「庖人虽不治庖，尸祝不越樽俎而代之矣。」后用以比喻踰越自己的职分而代人做事。宋．陈亮〈与吕伯恭正字书〉四则之三：「大着何不警其越俎代庖之罪，而乃疑其心恻井渫不食乎？」

重編國語辭典

踰越自己的职责而代人做事

維基詞典

Entry Composition

1 越 yuè
  1. to exceed
  2. to climb over
  3. to surpass
  4. the more... the more
2 俎 zǔ a stand for food at sacrifice
3 代庖 dàipáo
  1. (literary) to do others' job for them; to act in the place of others
  2. to do others' job for them; to act in the place of others

Related entries

自谋出路 zìmóuchūlù
  1. (idiom) to take matters into one's own hands
  2. to go it alone
  3. to fend for oneself
  4. to find one's own way forward (esp. to find oneself a job)