考试

Étymologie et composants

The Chinese word 考试 (kǎoshì) for "exam" or "test" is composed of two characters: 考 (kǎo) and 试 (shì). The character 考 originally meant "to investigate" or "to examine," and it was often used in the context of official examinations during ancient China. The character 试, on the other hand, originally meant "to try" or "to experiment," and it was often used in the context of testing or evaluating someone's knowledge or skills. When these two characters are combined, they form the word 考试, which specifically refers to the process of taking an exam or being tested.