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击退 (jī tuì) — to beat back, to repel

Definition

击退 (jī tuì) means to repel or beat back an attacker/attack — implies the enemy is driven back, not just stopped. Use for military or competitive contexts where the opponent is forced to retreat.

verb
to beat backto repel

Examples

  • 击退。
    Jūn duì chéng gōng jī tuì le dí rén de jìn gōng.
    The army successfully repelled the enemy's attack.
  • 击退。
    Wǒ men duì zài shàng bàn chǎng jī tuì le duì shǒu de duō cì fǎn pū.
    Our team beat back the opponent's multiple counterattacks in the first half.
  • 击退。
    Zhè zhǒng yào néng jī tuì gǎn mào bìng dú.
    This medicine can repel the cold virus.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

击jīstrike
退tuìretreat

击 (strike) and 退 (retreat) combine to mean beat back.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 擊; 击 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
毄
毄jī擊jī
Same sound today

The traditional form 擊 has 手 (hand) and 毄; 毄 gives the sound and also points to striking, while the simplified 击 is a later shorthand.

Open 击 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 皀皀jífood vessel
  • 夊夊suīdownward foot

退 originally showed 皀, a food vessel, with 夊, a downward foot, for leaving the table after eating. In modern 退, the vessel part 皀 changed into an unrelated shape.

Open 退 →
Appears in
Military & Defense

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