English–Chinese
“sound out” in Chinese
Chinese
Pronunciation
Pinyinshì tàn
Example
他在聊天时不断试探我的看法。tā zài liáo tiān shí bú duàn shì tàn wǒ de kàn fǎ
He kept sounding out my opinion while we chatted.
How to say “sound out” in Chinese
“Sound out” in Chinese is 试探 (shì tàn).
A cautious first move that reveals another person's response without asking everything openly.
Example sentences with 试探
面试官通过几道问题来试探应聘者的真实想法。miàn shì guān tōng guò jǐ dào wèn tí lái shì tàn yìng pìn zhě de zhēn shí xiáng fǎ
The interviewer asks several questions to sound out the applicant's true thoughts.
Tips for using 试探
- In everyday Chinese, this verb can describe testing the atmosphere in a conversation, so it helps distinguish a careful indirect question from a straightforward request for information.