English–Chinese
“try to” in Chinese
Chinese
Pronunciation
Pinyinshì tú
Example
她试图早点睡觉，可是太晚了。tā shì tú záo diǎn shuì jiào kě shì tài wǎn le
She tried to go to bed early, but it was too late.
How to say “try to” in Chinese
“Try to” in Chinese is 试图 (shì tú).
An intended action moves from thought into an initial attempt, without saying that it succeeds.
Example sentences with 试图
他试图逃跑，但被警察抓住了。tā shì tú táo pǎo dàn bèi jǐng chá zhuā zhù le
He tried to escape, but the police caught him.
Tips for using 试图
- This verb often sounds more formal than everyday speech and appears frequently in written reports, so recognizing it helps conversational learners follow accounts of attempted actions.