试
shì · HSK 1
to test; to try
📝 试 = 讠(speech) + 式(form/style) — speak in a set form to test
试 means to test, try, or attempt. The 讠 radical hints at speech or examination; 式 means form or pattern. Together: an oral or formal trial. Common in 考试 (exam) and 试一试 (give it a try).
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.