试shì
Character evolution
试
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Simplified · Today
繁体
Traditional Chinese
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Shuowen
试 (shì), meaning “to test” or “try,” is formed by the speech radical 言 (simplified as 讠) paired with the phonetic 戈, a weapon. In oracle bone script the character depicted a weapon being examined, indicating the original sense of testing. The combination of speech and weapon reflects the ancient idea of testing something through verbal or practical trials.
Pinyin
shì· HSK 2