Chinese word

推辞

Pronunciation

Pinyintuī cí

Meaning

  • verbdecline

Example

他一再推辞那份礼物。tā yí zài tuī cí nà fèn lǐ wù

He repeatedly declined that gift.

Illustration for 推辞 (decline)

More examples

她婉言推辞了朋友的邀请。tā wǎn yán tuī cí le péng yǒu de yāo qǐng

She politely declined her friend's invitation.

Core concept

A verbal step back from an offer that keeps the social connection intact.

Common phrases

  • 推辞邀请tuī cí yāo qǐng

    decline an invitation

  • 婉言推辞wǎn yán tuī cí

    politely decline

  • 坚决推辞jiān jué tuī cí

    firmly decline

Similar words

拒绝jù jué: To reject a request or offer decisively rather than accept it.
婉拒wǎn jù: To say no to an offer or invitation without sounding direct or harsh.
谢绝xiè jué: To turn down an offer or invitation in a formal and gracious manner.

Definition in Chinese

用委婉的语言表示不接受对方的提议、邀请或赠与，强调顾及对方感受的断绝方式。yòng wéi wǎn de yǔ yán biǎo shì bù jiē shòu duì fāng de tí yì yāo qǐng huò zèng yǔ qiáng diào gù jí duì fāng gǎn shòu de duàn jué fāng shì

Word origin

推辞 (tuīcí, "decline") combines 推 (tuī, "push") with 辞 (cí, "decline"), framing a spoken refusal as gently pushing an offer away.

Usage tips

  • In everyday speech, this word commonly accompanies an offer, invitation, or gift, so it suits courteous social refusals rather than abrupt ones.

Other meanings

  • refuseverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word