退色 (tuì sè) — to fade (of color), to lose color

Definition

退色 means 'to fade / lose color' (clothes, paint, photos). Often interchangeable with the more standard 褪色, but 退色 is colloquial while 褪色 is the written/formal form.

verb
to fade (of color)to lose color

Examples

  • 退色。
    Zhè jiàn yī fu xǐ le jǐ cì jiù tuì sè le.
    This piece of clothing faded after being washed a few times.
  • ，。
    Nà tiáo kù zi tuì le sè, bù néng zài chuān le.
    That pair of pants has faded and can no longer be worn.
  • 。
    Zhè fú huà de yán sè yǐ jīng tuì le hěn duō.
    The colors of this painting have already faded a lot.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

退tuìlose
色sècolor

退 (“lose”) plus 色 (“color”) gives the sense of losing color and fading.

Characters in this word

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 →

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

  • 爪爪zhuǎclaw; hand
  • 卩卩jiékneeling person

色 pairs 爪 (a hand) with 卩 (a kneeling person), showing a hand pressing down on the kneeling person.

Open 色 →

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