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屡试不爽 (lǚ shì bù shuǎng) — (chengyu) proven effective every time; to have been tried many times without a single failure

Definition

A four-character idiom meaning something has been tried many times and never failed — 'time-tested' or 'proven every time.' Used to praise a method, strategy, or person's advice as reliably effective.

idiom
(chengyu) proven effective every timeto have been tried many times without a single failure

Examples

  • 屡试不爽，。
    Zhè ge fāng fǎ lǚ shì bù shuǎng, měi cì yòng dōu hěn yǒu xiào.
    This method has never failed; it works every time.
  • 屡试不爽，。
    Tā de jīng yàn lǚ shì bù shuǎng, wǒ men yù dào wèn tí dōu zhǎo tā.
    His experience is tried and tested—we go to him whenever we have a problem.
  • 屡试不爽，。
    Zhè zhǒng yíng xiāo cè lüè lǚ shì bù shuǎng, xīn yòng hù zēng zhǎng fēi cháng wěn dìng.
    This marketing strategy works every time; new user growth is very stable.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

屡试repeatedly try
屡lǚrepeatedly试shìtry
偏正Modifier + head
不爽no failure
不bùnot爽shuǎngfail
偏正Modifier + head

Repeated trials and no failure combine to mean proven effective.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 屢; 屡 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
尸尸shī
Sound part声符shēngfú
婁
婁lóu屢lǚ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 屢 pairs 尸 with 婁; 尸 relates to the meaning and 婁 gives the sound. This note is about 屢, not about the simplified 屡.

Open 屡 →

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 picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

爽 is written by combining 大 and 㸚 to mean bright.

Open 爽 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set Phrases

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