Chinese word

后退

Pronunciation

Pinyinhòu tuì

Meaning

  • verbstep back

Example

请你后退，不要挡着我。qǐng nǐ hòu tuì bú yào dǎng zhe wǒ

Please step back and do not block me.

Illustration for 后退 (step back)

More examples

发生爆炸时，大家迅速后退到安全距离。fā shēng bào zhà shí dà jiā xùn sù hòu tuì dào ān quán jù lí

When an explosion occurred, everyone quickly backed away to a safe distance.

Core concept

Movement away from a current position toward the rear, creating more distance and sometimes showing a decline in status or circumstances.

Common phrases

  • 后退一步hòu tuì yí bù

    take one step back

  • 后退到安全距离hòu tuì dào ān quán jù lí

    back away to a safe distance

Similar words

退后tuì hòu: Move back to leave more space between people or objects.
撤退chè tuì: Pull an army or group back from an area in an organized withdrawal.
倒退dào tuì: Go backward when movement or a situation turns away from progress.
退缩tuì suō: Hold back and step away because of fear or lack of confidence.

Definition in Chinese

向后移动，离开原来的位置而向后增大距离，常指人或物体的退后，也可比喻为地位或情况的退步。xiàng hòu yí dòng lí kāi yuán lái de wèi zhì ér xiàng hòu zēng dà jù lí cháng zhǐ rén huò wù tǐ de tuì hòu yě kě bǐ yù wèi dì wèi huò qíng kuàng de tuì bù

Word origin

后 (hòu, "behind") + 退 (tuì, "withdraw") combine to show movement away from the current position toward the back.

Usage tips

  • Everyday requests become clearer when they state a distance or stopping point, because a bare command can leave the amount of movement unclear.

Other meanings

  • retreatverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word