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，古代祭祀時，用來盛祭品的禮器。越俎代庖指掌管祭祀的人放下祭器代替廚師下廚。語本《莊子．逍遙遊》：「庖人雖不治庖，尸祝不越樽俎而代之矣。」後用以比喻踰越自己的職分而代人做事。宋．陳亮〈與呂伯恭正字書〉四則之三：「大著何不警其越俎代庖之罪，而乃疑其心惻井渫不食乎？」

重編國語辭典

踰越自己的職責而代人做事

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

自謀出路 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)