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后退 (hòu tuì) — to retreat; to step back; to back up

Definition

后退 is a general verb for moving backward (a person, a vehicle, or an abstract process). Use 倒车 only for reversing a vehicle, and 撤退 / 退却 for military withdrawal.

verb
to retreatto step backto back up

Examples

  • 后退，。
    Qǐng hòu tuì yí bù, zhè lǐ tài jǐ le.
    Please step back, it's too crowded here.
  • 后退。
    Zài bǐ sài zhōng tā xuǎn zé le hòu tuì.
    During the competition, he chose to retreat.
  • 。
    Chē zi wǎng hòu tuì le yì diǎn.
    The car backed up a little.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

后hòuback
退tuìretreat

后 'back' and 退 'retreat' together mean moving back.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 後; 后 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 後 showed 夊 (foot) bound by 幺 (thread), a foot caught by a rope and lagging behind; the simplified 后 is a later abbreviation, and 后 also has a different meaning.

Open 后 →

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
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