试探
shì tàn · HSK 7
to sound out
🔦 试 try + 探 probe = try-probe: feel something out before committing
试 means to try or test, 探 means to probe or explore. Together they describe sounding someone or something out carefully, like a probe sent ahead to gather info before you act.
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.
探 — hand radical 扌 + 罙 (depth/cave)
探 combines the hand radical 扌 with 罙, which depicts a hand reaching into a cave or deep place. The original sense was reaching in to feel for or retrieve something hidden, which extended to 'probe,' 'search,' and 'explore.' 罙 also hints at the sound.