小試牛刀 xiǎoshìniúdāo to show a glimpse of one's talent Origin Definitions Defs Strokes Stroke Words Sentences Sents 小试 小試 xiǎoshì to try briefly To make a casual trial; to test something out for the first time or in a limited way.牛刀 niúdāo great talent a person of great ability or a powerful tool (from the idiom 割鸡焉用牛刀 gējīyānyòngniúdāo)