溃退 (kuì tuì) — to be routed, to retreat in defeat

Definition

A formal/written verb for 'to be routed' — a panicked, disorderly retreat in defeat, stronger than plain 撤退 (an orderly withdrawal). Common in military, crisis, and historical narrative.

verb
to be routedto retreat in defeat

Examples

  • 溃退。
    Dí jūn zài zhàn chǎng shàng quán miàn kuì tuì le.
    The enemy forces were completely routed on the battlefield.
  • ，溃退。
    Jīng jì wēi jī zhōng, xǔ duō gōng sī kuì tuì dào èr xiàn chéng shì.
    During the economic crisis, many companies retreated to second-tier cities.
  • ，溃退。
    Miàn duì qiáng dà de yā lì, tā men bù dé bú kuì tuì.
    Facing strong pressure, they had to retreat in defeat.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

溃kuìrout
退tuìretreat

Rout and retreat are parallel actions, giving a beaten withdrawal.

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 潰; 溃 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
氵Written in full as水shuǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
貴
貴guì潰kuì
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 潰 pairs 氵 (water) with 貴 for sound; the simplified 溃 is a shorthand, and its right side is not the old sound part.

Open 溃 →

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 →

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