嘗

1. Sensory/Experimental: To taste, sample, test, or try. In contexts involving medicine, food, or skill, it often denotes a trial or an act of determination through sampling.

2. Experiential/Temporal: "Once," "previously," or "at one time." This typically implies prior acquaintance or having undergone a specific experience.

3. Habitual: "Usually" or "habitually."

• Contrast with 常: These two glyphs are frequently interchangeable in early texts. While 常 typically leans toward the constant, habitual, or ordinary, 嘗 often emphasizes a singular previous instance; however, they can merge into a general sense of "usually."
• Contrast with 曾: In later periods, both function as markers of "once" or "previously." In early texts, 嘗 retains a stronger connection to the act of experiencing (the "tasting"), whereas 曾 tends to be a more clinical marker of time or perfective aspect.

• Semantic variant: 常
• Simplified variant: 尝

When encountering the habitual or temporal senses, the translator should determine if the context implies a one-time experience that informs the present or a recurring habit.