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试试看

試試看
shìshìkàn
verb #9,026

Meanings

  1. 1 to give it a try; to have a go
  2. 2 let's see (by trying)

Characters

试
shì
to try; to test
试
shì
to try (reduplicated for casual tone)
看
kàn
to see; to find out
Try-try-see — the reduplicated 试试 softens the action, and 看 adds 'and see what happens.'

Examples

你试试看，也许会成功。
Nǐ shìshìkàn, yěxǔ huì chénggōng.
Give it a try — maybe it'll work.
我想试试看这道菜。
Wǒ xiǎng shìshìkàn zhè dào cài.
I want to try this dish.
不知道行不行，试试看吧。
Bù zhīdào xíng bù xíng, shìshìkàn ba.
Not sure if it'll work — let's give it a try.

Tips

grammar
The pattern V+V+看 (reduplicate verb + 看) means 'try doing X and see.' Other examples: 想想看 (think about it), 尝尝看 (taste it and see).
register
Very colloquial and encouraging. Often used when suggesting someone try something with no pressure.

Stroke Order

试 shì
看 kàn