退 (tuì): to retreat, to return
退 (tuì) is a Chinese character meaning “to retreat, to return.” Classified as HSK Level 5 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 辶 (semantic) and 艮 (phonetic). It ranks #723 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 退 walk. Its radical form 辶 (walk) appears in many related characters such as 边 (biān, side), 过 (guò, to pass, past), 还 (hái, still, return).
Definitions
- to retreat, to return
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 退 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 退
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 退出verb | tuì chū | to withdraw | 5 |
| 退休verb | tuì xiū | to retire (from the workforce) | 5 |
| 后退verb | hòu tuì | to recoil | 6 |
| 退还verb | tuì huán | to return (sth borrowed etc) | 5 |
| 退税verb | tuì shuì | tax rebate or refund | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 退后verb | tuì hòu | to stand back |
| 撤退verb | chè tuì | to retreat |
| 退缩verb | tuì suō | to shrink back |
| 退役verb | tuì yì | (of military personnel or athletes) to retire |
| 退学verb | tuì xué | to quit school |
| 退伍verb | tuì wǔ | to be discharged from military service |
| 退回verb | tuì huí | to return (an item) |
| 退休金noun | tuì xiū jīn | retirement pension |
| 退路noun | tuì lù | a way out |
| 退化verb | tuì huà | to degenerate |
| 倒退verb | dào tuì | to fall back |
| 衰退verb | shuāi tuì | to decline |
| 进退两难phrase | jìn tuì liǎng nán | no room to advance or to retreat (idiom) |
| 退款verb | tuì kuǎn | to refund |
| 退伍军人noun | tuì wǔ jūn rén | veteran |
退 appears in 100 compound words: 65 as the first character, 30 as the last, and 5 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 退 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (10)
to beat the drum before the magistrate withdraws from the court; to beat a retreat; to give up halfway
(after a sum has been paid in advance) to refund (in case of overpayment) or be reimbursed (in case of underpayment)
to lose battles one after another and retreat in defeat; to lose (competitions) successively
to advance or retreat, each has its rules (idiom from Zhuangzi); many translations are possible
to beat the drum before the magistrate withdraws from the court; to beat a retreat; to give up halfway
(after a sum has been paid in advance) to refund (in case of overpayment) or be reimbursed (in case of underpayment)
to lose battles one after another and retreat in defeat; to lose (competitions) successively
Showing 9 of 10 idioms containing 退.
Example Sentences
如果产品质量有问题，可以无条件退货。
Rúguǒ chǎnpǐn zhìliàng yǒu wèntí, kěyǐ wú tiáojiàn tuì huò.
If there are quality issues with the product, you can return it unconditionally.
日本武士又傳辭退 牛棚大將松井裕樹退賽
rì běn wǔ shì yòu 傳 辭 tuì niú péng dà 將 sōng jǐng yù 樹 tuì 賽
Japanese Samurai Relegation Rumors Resurface: Bullpen Ace Yuki Matsui Withdraws
...SEYE彈出彈入否認健康亮紅燈 官方昨稱退團專心養病
. . . 彈 chū 彈 rù fǒu 認 jiàn kāng liàng 紅 燈 guān fāng zuó 稱 tuì 團 專 xīn 養 bìng
SEYE's sudden departure and return spark health concerns The official stated yesterday that she left the group to focus on recuperation
川普對等關稅被裁定違憲 分析師:企業促退稅需多年訴訟
chuān pǔ 對 děng 關 稅 bèi cái dìng 違 憲 fēn xī 師 qǐ 業 cù tuì 稅 xū duō nián 訴 訟
Trump's reciprocal tariffs ruled unconstitutional: Analysts: Years of litigation needed for businesses to push for refunds
今日冇人停賽 花果猴王第3次心律不正唔使退役
jīn rì 冇 rén tíng 賽 huā guǒ hóu wáng dì cì xīn lǜ bù zhèng 唔 shǐ tuì yì
No one stops the race today. King of Monkey King's 3rd arrhythmia does not retire.
...0%也无法套现?全球10大私募巨头遭遇“退出寒冬”-FX168
. . . yě wú fǎ tào xiàn ? quán qiú dà sī mù jù tóu zāo yù tuì chū hán dōng
... .0% can not cash? The world's top 10 private equity giants encountered "exit winter" -FX168
汤姆已经退休了不是吗？
Tāngmǔ yǐjīng tuìxiū le bùshìma?
Tom is retired already, isn't he?
退休后，德蕾莎投身照顾孤儿的工作。
Tuìxiū hòu, Délěishā tóushēn zhàogu gū'ér de gōngzuò.
After retirement, Teresa devoted herself to caring for orphans.
他退休时的薪金并不高。
Tā tuìxiū shí de xīnjīn bìngbù gāo.
He wasn't earning a large salary when he retired.
汤姆后退一步跌倒了。
Tāngmǔ hòutuì yī bù diēdǎo le.
Tom took a step back and fell.
Character Family
Semantic Family — Characters sharing the 辶 (walk) component
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 退 (tuì) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 退 and 预?
How many strokes does 退 have?
What is the radical of 退?
What are the components of 退?
What are common words containing 退?
Is 退 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 退 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear spoken pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.