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比试 (bǐ shi) — to have a competition; to compete (in skills, strength, etc.); to measure roughly with the hand or arm; to gauge by gesture

Definition

比试 (bǐshi) usually means 'to compete, to have a contest' in skills or strength. The older 'measure by hand/arm' sense is rare in modern use. Verb-object pattern: 比试一下 / 比试一场.

verb
to have a competitionto compete (in skills, strength, etc.)to measure roughly with the hand or armto gauge by gesture

Examples

  • 比试。
    Wǒ men bǐ shi yí xià shuí de zì xiě dé hǎo.
    Let's have a competition to see whose handwriting is better.
  • 比试，。
    Tā men liǎng gè rén bǐ shi le yì chǎng, bù fēn shèng fù.
    The two of them had a competition and ended in a draw.
  • 比试。
    Tā yòng shǒu bǐ shi le yí xià zhuō zi de cháng dù.
    He measured the length of the table roughly with his hand.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

比bǐcompare or contest
试shìtry or test

比 means to compare or contest, 试 means to try or test; together they describe testing or comparing skills.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

  • 匕匕bǐ
  • 匕匕bǐ

比 is two 匕 placed side by side. Chu Wan-li treats both as sound parts, while an old reading takes the side-by-side arrangement as putting things next to each other.

Open 比 →

Most 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 試; 试 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
式
式shì試shì
Same sound today

The traditional form 試 puts 言 beside 式, and 式 gives the sound; the simplified 试 is the form of this character.

Open 试 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Sports & Athletics

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