尝试
chángshì · HSK 5
attempt
🧪 尝 = taste + 试 = test; taste-test it, i.e. give it a try
尝 originally meant to taste food, extended to 'experience/try'. 试 means test or trial. Together 尝试 literally taste-and-test, so 'attempt' or 'have a go'.
尝 — small 小 (top) + roof-like cover 冖 + 云 + 旨 (taste/flavor)
Originally written 嘗, depicting tasting food with the tongue (旨 means 'flavor/taste'). The character meant 'to taste' literally, then extended to 'to try/experience' and 'once' (as in 'have ever tried'). The simplified form 尝 keeps the 旨 component carrying the core meaning.
试 — speech radical 讠 (言) + 式 shì
试 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The speech radical 讠 (言, 'words/speech') gives the meaning, since testing originally involved questioning or verbal trial. The right side 式 ('pattern, model') supplies the sound shì. Together they suggest 'to try out by a set method,' yielding senses like test, try, attempt.