瀬踏み

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 瀬踏み, read せぶみ, means testing water depth or making a preliminary assessment of a situation.
• Basic usage: It is used for testing responses with samples or sounding out someone’s intentions before a meeting.
  • 新商品の反応を瀬踏みするため、試供品を配った。

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Probing before taking full action
  • 瀬踏みする means gauging possibilities or reactions before committing to action. Compared with 調査する, it more strongly suggests a cautious preliminary probe.