投石问路

投石問路

tóushí-wènlù

idiom #49,335

Meanings

HSK 5

公司先推出小批量产品投石问路。

Gōngsī xiān tuīchū xiǎo pīliàng chǎnpǐn tóushí-wènlù.

The company first released a small batch of products to gauge reaction.

HSK 6

他先发了一条消息，算是投石问路。

Tā xiān fā le yì tiáo xiāoxi, suànshì tóushí-wènlù.

He sent a message first, just to test the waters.

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.

投 tóu

石 shí

问 wèn

路 lù