Definition
退避三舍 is a chengyu (four-character idiom) from the Spring and Autumn period, literally meaning 'retreat three she (an ancient unit of distance, one she ≈ 30 li ≈ 15 km)'. It describes deliberately avoiding a confrontation or yielding ground to someone out of caution, respect, or strategic withdrawal. You use it when someone actively steers clear of a person or situation to prevent conflict, often with the connotation of giving way to avoid trouble.
f.e.
to give way to someoneto deliberately avoid a conflict or confrontationto keep one's distance from something (in order to stay out of trouble)
Examples
- ，退避三舍。Nà wèi lǎo zhuānjiā píqì hěn dà, tóngshìmen dōu duì tā tuì bì sān shè.That old expert has a bad temper; all his colleagues give way to him.
- ，退避三舍。Yù dào zhè zhǒng mǐngǎn huàtí, tā tōngcháng xuǎnzé tuì bì sān shè.When encountering such sensitive topics, he usually chooses to avoid them assiduously.
- ，退避三舍，。Zài shāngyè tánpàn zhōng, yǒushí tuì bì sān shè bú shì shì ruò, ér shì cèlüè.In business negotiations, sometimes giving way is not a sign of weakness but a strategy.
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