试跳 (shì tiào) — to make a trial jump; to test jump | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

试 (shì) here means 'to try out / test', so 试跳 is a trial or practice jump, common in athletics and skydiving — not the actual competitive jump.

verb

to make a trial jumpto test jump

Examples

试跳。
Tā zài bǐ sài qián shì tiào le yí cì.
He made a trial jump before the competition.
试跳。
Tiào sǎn qián nǐ xū yào shì tiào yí cì.
Before skydiving, you need to do a trial jump.
试跳。
Yùn dòng yuán de shì tiào fēi cháng chéng gōng.
The athlete's trial jump was very successful.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

试shìtest/trial

A trial jump, with 试 meaning 'test/trial' and 跳 meaning 'jump'.

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 試; 试 is its simplified writing.

言式試

Meaning part形符xíngfú

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.

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú

足足zúfoot

Sound part声符shēngfú

兆

兆zhào跳tiào

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

跳 pairs 足 (foot) with 兆, which supplies the sound; the foot part shows the action is done with the feet.

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