Chinese word

试图

Pronunciation

Pinyinshì tú

Meaning

  • verbtry to

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.

Illustration for 试图 (try to)

More examples

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.

Core concept

An intended action moves from thought into an initial attempt, without saying that it succeeds.

Common phrases

  • 试图逃跑shì tú táo pǎo

    try to escape

  • 试图说服shì tú shuō fú

    try to persuade

  • 试图隐瞒shì tú yǐn mán

    try to conceal

Similar words

打算dǎ suàn: Express a plan or intention to do something, including the decision or preparation for it.
尝试cháng shì: Try doing something in practice to see whether it works or what result it brings.
企图qǐ tú: Make a deliberate attempt to achieve a particular goal through concrete action.

Definition in Chinese

有意图去做某事并付诸尝试，侧重行为的起始或企图性，常与动词连用构成短语。yǒu yì tú qù zuò mǒu shì bìng fù zhū cháng shì cè zhòng xíng wéi de qí shǐ huò qǐ tú xìng cháng yǔ dòng cí lián yòng gòu chéng duán yǔ

Word origin

试 (shì, "test") + 图 (tú, "plan") joins the ideas of testing an action and forming a plan to do it.

Usage tips

  • 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.

Opposites

Word lists with this word