尝 (cháng) — to taste (food or drink); to experience, to sample (a feeling or situation)
Definition
尝 (cháng) means 'to taste' or 'to sample an experience' — used for food (尝尝这汤) and for trying out something. It's narrower than 试 (general 'to try/test') and narrower than 品尝 (more formal, for wine/food tasting).
verb
to taste (food or drink)to experienceto sample (a feeling or situation)
Examples
- 尝。Wǒ xiǎng cháng yí xià zhè ge tāng.I want to taste this soup.
- 尝？Nǐ cháng guò sì chuān cài ma?Have you tried Sichuan food?
- 尝。Tā cháng dào le shēng huó de tián.He tasted the sweetness of life.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
This origin belongs to the traditional form 嘗; 尝 is its simplified writing.
The simplified 尝 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (尝, 尝试) it is 嘗; in others (品尝) it is 嚐.
The traditional form 嘗 pairs 旨 (tasty) with 尚, which supplies the sound; the simplified 尝 is a later shorthand.
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