Definition
退却 (tuì què) means 'to retreat' in a military sense (withdrawing from battle) or 'to shrink back' from a challenge. It is more formal and literary than 后退 (hòu tuì 'step back') and 撤退 (chè tuì 'withdraw'), which are the everyday spoken words for retreating. 退缩 (tuì suō) and 畏缩 (wèi suō) focus on cowering or flinching from fear, while 退却 can be used for both physical retreat and backing down from difficulty.
verb
to retreat (physically, especially in military context)to shrink backto flinch (from a challenge or difficulty)
Examples
- ，退却。Dírén dǐdǎng bú zhù jìngōng, zhǐhǎo tuì què.The enemy couldn't withstand the attack and had to retreat.
- 退却，。Yùdào cuòzhé jiù tuì què, yǒngyuǎn wúfǎ chénggōng.If you shrink back at every setback, you'll never succeed.
- 退却，。Tā miànduì wēixiǎn háo bù tuì què, yǒnggǎn de chōng le shàng qù.He didn't flinch in the face of danger and bravely charged forward.
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.