借刀杀人 jièdāoshārén to get someone else to do one's dirty work Origin Definitions Defs Strokes Stroke Words Sentences Sents 借 jiè noun to make use of to take advantage of an opportunity or situation; to avail oneself of; to rely on刀 dāo noun knife knife; blade; single-edged sword; any tool used for cutting, slicing, or carving杀人 殺人 shārén verb + noun to kill someone to murder; to kill a person