About
The character "尝", whose traditional form is written as "嘗", originates from a concept centered on ritual and sensory experience. Its structure in the traditional form combines elements suggesting a vessel or altar with the component for "flavor" or "sweetness", clearly pointing to its early association with the act of tasting, specifically in the context of offering and then sampling food in ancestral rites. This primary meaning of tasting with the mouth gradually broadened into the more abstract sense of trying or experiencing something, as in attempting a task or encountering a situation. The modern simplified form "尝" is a direct graphical reduction that emerged from centuries of cursive writing styles, which streamlined the complex upper portion of the traditional character into the component "尚" while preserving the essential lower element, thus maintaining a visual and conceptual link to its historical roots centered on the act of tasting and trying.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
你尝过这个吗？
我尝了一口汤。
他尝试做新菜。
我们品尝了当地美食。
她尝了尝咖啡，觉得太苦。
如果你没尝过，一定要试试。
经过多次尝试，他终于成功了。
尽管初次尝试失败，但他不愿放弃，决定再尝一次。