TongTong
Sign in

衰退 (shuāi tuì) — to decline, to deteriorate (in health, memory, ability, etc.); (of an economy) to go into recession

Definition

衰退 is a formal verb for a broad, often gradual decline — physical, mental, or economic. 比 下降 broader in scope, stronger in tone; 比 没落 less tied to civilizations and cultures.

verb
to declineto deteriorate (in health, memory, ability, etc.)(of an economy) to go into recession

Examples

  • 衰退。
    Zhè ge guó jiā de jīng jì zhèng zài shuāi tuì.
    This country's economy is in decline.
  • 衰退。
    Tā de jiàn kāng jìn nián lái zhú jiàn shuāi tuì.
    His health has gradually declined in recent years.
  • 衰退。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī de jìng zhēng lì zhèng zài shuāi tuì.
    This company's competitiveness is declining.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

衰shuāidecline
退tuìretreat

The parts 衰 and 退 both mean decline, so together they express deterioration.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The old form of 衰 pictures a palm-fiber raincoat, a garment later written with another character.

Open 衰 →

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
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Economy & TradeIllness & Symptoms

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.