一试身手 (yī shì shēn shǒu) — to try one's hand (at something), to show off one's skills

Definition

A chengyu meaning 'to try one's hand / show off one's skills' on something new or challenging. The 把-construction 一试身手 is a fixed idiom, not a separable verb — never insert objects between the characters.

idiom
to try one's hand (at something)to show off one's skills

Examples

  • ，一试身手。
    Tā dì yī cì cān jiā bǐ sài, hěn xiǎng yī shì shēn shǒu.
    He's competing for the first time and really wants to try his hand.
  • ，一试身手。
    Zhè ge xīn xiàng mù hěn nán, dàn dà jiā dōu xiǎng yī shì shēn shǒu.
    This new project is very difficult, but everyone wants to give it a try.
  • ，一试身手？
    Jī huì lái le, nǐ bù xiǎng yī shì shēn shǒu ma?
    The opportunity has come — don't you want to try your hand?

Origin

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

一 is drawn as one horizontal stroke, marking the number one.

Open 一 →

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 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 身 comes from a drawing of a pregnant woman.

Open 身 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

手 draws a five-fingered human hand: the top line is a bent middle finger, and the horizontal lines show the other four fingers.

Open 手 →

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