Chinese word

退却

Pronunciation

Pinyintuì què

Meaning

  • verbretreat

Example

军队开始退却。jūn duì kāi shǐ tuì què

The army began to retreat.

Illustration for 退却 (retreat)

More examples

在炮火面前，士兵不得不退却。zài pào huǒ miàn qián shì bīng bù dé bú tuì què

In the face of artillery fire, the soldiers had to retreat.

Core concept

A controlled pullback that gives up present ground to protect a larger aim or create a better position.

Common phrases

  • 开始退却kāi shǐ tuì què

    begin to retreat

  • 被迫退却bèi pò tuì què

    be forced to retreat

  • 有序退却yǒu xù tuì què

    retreat in an orderly manner

Similar words

撤退chè tuì: Withdraw in an orderly, planned way from an unfavorable position.
撤离chè lí: Move people or things away from danger to a safe place.
逃跑táo pǎo: Run away quickly to escape danger or pursuit.
退缩tuì suō: Hold back from deciding or acting because of fear or doubt.

Definition in Chinese

有秩序地向后撤退，放弃或撤离既定位置或阵地，侧重于有目的的撤退行动。yǒu zhì xù dì xiàng hòu chè tuì fàng qì huò chè lí jì dìng wèi zhì huò zhèn dì cè zhòng yú yǒu mù dì de chè tuì xíng dòng

Word origin

退却 (tuìquè, "retreat") is built from 退 (tuì, "move back") and 却 (què, "turn back"), so its parts point toward a purposeful return from an established position.

Usage tips

  • The word is especially useful in news and formal writing, where an organized change of position matters more than the simple fact of leaving.

Other meanings

  • withdrawverb
  • fall backverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word