尝试 meaning in English

chángshì

to try (to see what it's like or whether one can do it)

HSK 5verbnounTraditional 嘗試17 strokes

Meaning of 尝试

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

chángshì
  1. to try (to see what it's like or whether one can do it)

How to use 尝试

尝试 is a bit more formal than 试试 (shìshi) and works both as a verb and a noun. It often takes an object or a verb phrase after it. Example: 我想尝试一种新方法。(Wǒ xiǎng chángshì yì zhǒng xīn fāngfǎ.) I want to try a new method.

尝 (cháng) means to taste, and 试 (shì) means to test, the same 试 you see in 考试 (kǎoshì). To 尝试 is to taste and test something new to see how it goes.

Common mistake: Learners often write 尝 with the 尚 top and then forget it is cháng (second tone), not chǎng or shàng. Also, 尝试 is not used for trying on clothes. Use 试穿 (shìchuān) or 试一下 (shì yíxià) instead.

尝试 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

他tā尝cháng试shì逃táo走zǒu而ér成chéng功gōng了le。
His attempt to escape was successful.
如rú果guǒ进jìn行xíng尝cháng试shì,任rèn何hé人rén都dōu可kě以yǐ做zuò。
Anyone can do it if they try.
汤tāng姆mǔ在zài尝cháng试shì为wèi玛mǎ丽lì找zhǎo一yī份fèn工gōng作zuò。
Tom is trying to find Mary a job.
他tā现xiàn在zài在zài自zì己jǐ尝cháng试shì。
He's trying it himself now.
她tā尝cháng试shì将jiāng箱xiāng子zi举jǔ起qǐ,但dàn发fā现xiàn举jǔ不bù动dòng。
She tried to lift the box, but found it impossible.

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

尝 cháng · to taste · 9 strokes

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9

试 shì · to test · 8 strokes

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8

Related words

Words that share a character with 尝试.

考试kǎoshìto take an exam; exam
试验shìyànexperiment; test
试题shìtíexam question; test topic
测试cèshìto test (machinery etc); to test (a person's skill in a particular area)
面试miànshìto be interviewed (as a candidate); interview
试卷shìjuànexamination paper; test paper
试图shìtúto attempt; to try
试点shìdiǎntest point; to carry out trial
笔试bǐshìwritten examination; paper test (for an applicant)
口试kǒushìoral examination; oral test
品尝pǐnchángto have a taste of; to sample
试探shìtanto sound out; to probe

Questions about 尝试

What does 尝试 mean?

尝试 (chángshì) means "to try (to see what it's like or whether one can do it)" and is used as a verb and noun.

How do you write 尝试?

尝试 is made of 2 characters: 尝 (9 strokes), 试 (8 strokes). That is 17 strokes in total.

Is 尝试 an HSK word?

Yes. 尝试 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

How is 尝试 written in traditional Chinese?

In traditional characters, 尝试 is written 嘗試.

What is the difference between 尝试 and 试试?

试试 (shìshi) is casual and common in speech, like 你试试 (nǐ shìshi), you give it a try. 尝试 sounds more serious or written and suits new experiences, plans, or efforts. 尝试 can also be a noun, as in 一次尝试 (yí cì chángshì), an attempt.

Can 尝试 mean to taste food?

Not really. For tasting food, use 尝 (cháng) alone or 尝尝 (chángchang), as in 你尝尝这个菜 (nǐ chángchang zhège cài), taste this dish. 尝试 can mean trying a new kind of food in the sense of having the experience, but it does not mean tasting a bite.