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投石问路

投石問路
tóushíwènlù
idiom #49,335

Meanings

  1. 1 to throw a stone to test the path
  2. 2 to test the waters
  3. 3 to send out a trial balloon

Examples

他先发了一条消息，算是投石问路。
Tā xiān fāle yī tiáo xiāoxi, suànshì tóushíwènlù.
He sent a message first, just to test the waters.
公司先推出小批量产品投石问路。
Gōngsī xiān tuīchū xiǎopīliàng chǎnpǐn tóushíwènlù.
The company first released a small batch of products to gauge reaction.

Tips

history
Original sense was literal: thieves scouting a dark house would toss a pebble to see if anyone reacted before entering.
usage
Common in business, politics, and dating — any situation where you send a small signal to gauge response before committing.

Stroke Order

投 tóu
石 shí
问 wèn
路 lù