投石問路
tóu​shí​wèn​lù

to test the waters

  • created sense approved 投石问路/投石問路 · tóu​shí​wèn​lù · to test the waters — "Initial import from upstream dictionary"

    投石问路 / 投石問路

    tóu​shí​wèn​lù

    to test the waters

    Literally means to toss a stone to check the path ahead; used to describe taking a small initial action to gauge a situation before proceeding with a major plan.

    投 (literal) → 投 · tóu · to throw 石 (literal) → 石 · shí · stone 问 (literal) → 问/問 · wèn · to ask 路 (literal) → 路 · lù · road

    Changed: simplified, traditional, gloss, definition, pinyin, variant pinyin, variants, separable parts, decomposition

    created sense