退 meaning in English

tuì

to retreat; to withdraw; to reject; to return (sth)

HSK 3verb9 strokes

Meaning of 退

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

tuì

to retreat; to withdraw
to reject; to return (sth)
to decline

How to use 退

退 (tuì) means moving back or giving something back, and it often appears in compounds like 退休 (tuìxiū, to retire) and 退票 (tuìpiào, to return a ticket). In shopping it is common to say 退货 (tuìhuò) for returning goods. Example: 这件衣服太小了，我想退。(Zhè jiàn yīfu tài xiǎo le, wǒ xiǎng tuì.) This piece of clothing is too small, I want to return it.

退 combines the walking radical 辶 with 艮 (gèn), which looks like a person turning their head back. Picture someone walking away while looking back over their shoulder, stepping backward to retreat.

Common mistake: Learners often confuse 退 (tuì) with 腿 (tuǐ, leg), which shares the same sound part but has a different tone and meaning. Also do not mix up 退 with 还 (huán): 还 means giving back something you borrowed, while 退 means returning something you bought or refunding it.

退 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

我wǒ希xī望wàng在zài六liù十shí岁suì时shí退tuì休xiū。

I hope to retire from work when I'm 60 years old.

你nǐ可kě能néng需xū要yào后hòu退tuì几jǐ步bù。

You may want to take a few steps back.

我wǒ们men不bù如rú各gè退tuì一yī步bù吧ba。

Can we effect a compromise?

他tā没méi有yǒu工gōng作zuò，他tā退tuì休xiū了le。

He doesn't have a job. He's retired.

美měi国guó总zǒng统tǒng有yǒu权quán否fǒu决jué与yǔ退tuì回huí法fǎ案àn。

The President of the United States has the power to veto and send back legislation.

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

退 tuì · to retreat · 9 strokes

Related words

Words that share a character with 退.

退出	tuìchū	to withdraw; to abort
退休	tuìxiū	to retire (from the workforce); to go into retirement
退票	tuìpiào	to bounce (a check); to return a ticket
后退	hòutuì	to recoil; to draw back; to fall back; to retreat
退学	tuìxué	to quit school
退缩	tuìsuō	to shrink back; to cower
退役	tuìyì	(of military personnel or athletes) to retire; (of outdated equipment) to be decommissione
退休金	tuìxiūjīn	retirement pension; pension payments received after retirement
退回	tuìhuí	to return (an item); to send back
衰退	shuāituì	to decline; to fall
辞退	cítuì	to dismiss; to discharge
退却	tuìquè	to retreat; to shrink back

Questions about 退

What does 退 mean?

退 (tuì) means "to retreat; to withdraw; to reject; to return (sth)" and is used as a verb.

How do you write 退?

退 is made of 1 character: 退 (9 strokes). That is 9 strokes in total.

Is 退 an HSK word?

Yes. 退 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

What is the difference between 退 and 回?

回 (huí) means to go back to a place, like going home. 退 (tuì) means to step back, withdraw, or return an item for a refund. You 回家 (huí jiā) but you 退钱 (tuì qián) to get your money back.

How do I say 'get a refund' in Chinese?

Use 退款 (tuìkuǎn) or more casually 退钱 (tuì qián). For example, 我可以退款吗？(Wǒ kěyǐ tuìkuǎn ma?) means Can I get a refund?