退

退 U+9000, 退 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-9000 ← 迿 [U+8FFF] CJK Unified Ideographs 送 → [U+9001]

Translingual

Han character

退 (Kangxi radical 162, 辵+6, 9 strokes, cangjie input 卜日女 (YAV), four-corner 3730₃, composition ⿺辶艮)

Derived characters

• 煺 𠺙 𢟔 𢱸 𣻇 腿 𣗔 㾼 螁 褪 𦄁 蹆 𩄮 𠑉 𩘩 𩘬 𫤈 𦤮 𮪲 𨙝 𫤓

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 1256, character 14
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 38839
• Dae Jaweon: page 1740, character 4
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 6, page 3834, character 4
• Unihan data for U+9000

Chinese

trad.		退
simp. #		退
alternative forms		𨓤 𢓴 𢓇

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 退
Western Zhou	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Bronze inscriptions	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

	Old Chinese
腿	*n̥ʰuːlʔ
退	*n̥ʰuːbs
褪	*n̥ʰuːns

Characters in the same phonetic series (退) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 

In oracle bone script, ideogrammic compound (會意 / 会意): 皀 (“food vessel”) + 夊 (“downward foot”) – to leave the table after eating. Variants that depicted the vessel as 酉 or 豆 were common. Bronze inscriptions added 彳 to emphasize the action of walking away.

In the modern form the vessel 皀 has simplified to the unrelated 艮, similar to ⾷, 即, 既, 郷.

Shuowen misinterprets the seal script form as ideogrammic compound (會意 / 会意): 彳 (“move”) + 夊 (“walk”) + 日 (“sun”) – to walk away from the sun, to retreat.

Pronunciation

Variety	Location	edit 退
Mandarin	Beijing	/tʰuei⁵¹/
	Harbin	/tʰuei⁵³/
	Tianjin	/tʰuei⁵³/
	Jinan	/tʰuei²¹/
	Qingdao	/tʰue⁴²/
	Zhengzhou	/tʰuei³¹²/
	Xi'an	/tʰuei⁴⁴/
	Xining	/tʰuɨ²¹³/
	Yinchuan	/tʰuei¹³/
	Lanzhou	/tʰuei¹³/
	Ürümqi	/tʰuei²¹³/
	Wuhan	/tʰei³⁵/
	Chengdu	/tʰuei¹³/
	Guiyang	/tʰuei²¹³/
	Kunming	/tʰuei²¹²/
	Nanjing	/tʰuəi⁴⁴/
	Hefei	/tʰe⁵³/
Jin	Taiyuan	/tʰuei⁴⁵/
	Pingyao	/tʰuæ³⁵/
	Hohhot	/tʰuei⁵⁵/
Wu	Shanghai	/tʰe³⁵/
	Suzhou	/tʰe̞⁵¹³/
	Hangzhou	/tʰui⁴⁴⁵/
	Wenzhou	/tʰai⁴²/
Hui	Shexian	/tʰɛ³²⁴/
	Tunxi	/tʰə⁴²/
Xiang	Changsha	/tʰei⁵⁵/
	Xiangtan	/tʰəi⁵⁵/
Gan	Nanchang	/tʰui²¹³/
Hakka	Meixian	/tʰui⁵³/
	Taoyuan	/tʰui⁵⁵/
Cantonese	Guangzhou	/tʰøy³³/
	Nanning	/tʰui³³/
	Hong Kong	/tʰøy³³/
Min	Xiamen (Hokkien)	/tʰui²¹/ /tʰe²¹/
	Fuzhou (Eastern Min)	/tʰɔy²¹²/
	Jian'ou (Northern Min)	/to³³/
	Shantou (Teochew)	/tʰo²¹³/
	Haikou (Hainanese)	/hui³⁵/ /he³⁵/

Rime
Character	退
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	透 (6)
Final (韻)	灰 (42)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Closed
Division (等)	I
Fanqie	他内切
Baxter	thwojH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/tʰuʌiH/
Pan Wuyun	/tʰuoiH/
Shao Rongfen	/tʰuɒiH/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/tʰwəjH/
Li Rong	/tʰuᴀiH/
Wang Li	/tʰuɒiH/
Bernhard Karlgren	/tʰuɑ̆iH/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	tuì
Expected Cantonese Reflex	teoi3

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	退
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	tuì
Middle Chinese	‹ thwojH ›
Old Chinese	/*n̥ˁ[u]p-s/
English	withdraw (≠ advance)
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	退
Reading #	1/1
No.	12536
Phonetic component	退
Rime group	內
Rime subdivision	3
Corresponding MC rime
Old Chinese	/*n̥ʰuːbs/
Notes	由說文從彳從日夊隸變， 或從彳內聲

• Mandarin

  (Standard)

  (Pinyin): tuì (tui⁴)

  (Zhuyin): ㄊㄨㄟˋ

  (Chengdu, Sichuanese Pinyin): tui⁴

• Cantonese

  (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): teoi³

  (Taishan, Wiktionary): hui¹

• Gan (Wiktionary): tui³
• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): thui

  (Meixian, Guangdong): tui⁴

• Jin (Wiktionary): tui³
• Northern Min (KCR): do̿ / to̿
• Eastern Min (BUC): tó̤i
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): thè / thèr / thòe

  (Teochew, Peng'im): to³

• Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ⁵the
• Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): tei⁴

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: tuì
    • Zhuyin: ㄊㄨㄟˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: tuèi
    • Wade–Giles: tʻui⁴
    • Yale: twèi
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tuey
    • Palladius: туй (tuj)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰu̯eɪ̯⁵¹/
  • (Chengdu)
    • Sichuanese Pinyin: tui⁴
    • Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: tui
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰuei²¹³/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: teoi³
    • Yale: teui
    • Cantonese Pinyin: toey³
    • Guangdong Romanization: têu³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰɵy̯³³/
  • (Taishanese, Taicheng)
    • Wiktionary: hui¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /hui³³/
• Gan
  • (Nanchang)
    • Wiktionary: tui³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰui²¹³/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: thui
    • Hakka Romanization System: tui
    • Hagfa Pinyim: tui⁴
    • Sinological IPA: /tʰu̯i⁵⁵/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: tui⁴
    • Sinological IPA: /tʰuɪ⁵³/
• Jin
  • (Taiyuan)⁺
    • Wiktionary: tui³
    • Sinological IPA (old-style): /tʰuei⁴⁵/
• Northern Min
  • (Jian'ou)
    • Kienning Colloquial Romanized: do̿ / to̿
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /to³³/, /tʰo³³/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: tó̤i
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰɔy²¹³/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Taipei, Kaohsiung, Tainan, Taichung, Yilan, Magong, Philippines)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: thè
    • Tâi-lô: thè
    • Phofsit Daibuun: tex
    • IPA (Philippines): /tʰe⁴¹/
    • IPA (Taipei): /tʰe¹¹/
    • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Kaohsiung, Tainan, Yilan): /tʰe²¹/
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou, Lukang, Sanxia, Kinmen, Hsinchu)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: thèr
    • Tâi-lô: thèr
    • IPA (Lukang): /tʰə³¹/
    • IPA (Kinmen): /tʰə¹²/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /tʰə⁴¹/
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Hsinchu, Taichung)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: thòe
    • Tâi-lô: thuè
    • Phofsit Daibuun: toex
    • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /tʰue²¹/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /tʰue⁴¹/

Note:

• Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou:
  • thè/thèr - vernacular;
  • thòe - literary.

• • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: to³
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: thò
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰo²¹³/
• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ⁵the
    • MiniDict: the^去
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ²the
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /tʰe³⁴/
• Xiang
  • (Changsha)
    • Wiktionary: tei⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰe̞i̯⁴⁵/

---

• Dialectal data

---

• Middle Chinese: thwojH

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*n̥ˤ[u]p-s/

  (Zhengzhang): /*n̥ʰuːbs/

Definitions

退

1. to step back; to move backwards
2. to withdraw; to leave
3. to cause to move backward
4. to recede; to fade; to ebb
5. to return (a purchase, etc.); to refund
6. to cancel; to call off

Synonyms

• (to withdraw):

edit

• 捨去 / 舍去 (shěqù) (literary)
• 撤 (chè)
• 背離 / 背离 (bèilí)
• 走 (zǒu)
• 退出 (tuìchū)
• 遠 / 远 (literary)
• 遠離 / 远离 (yuǎnlí)
• 離去 / 离去 (líqù)
• 離逖 / 离逖 (lítì)
• 離開 / 离开 (líkāi)

• (to return):

edit

• 歸還 / 归还 (guīhuán)
• 退出 (tuìchū)
• 退還 / 退还 (tuìhuán)

• (to cancel):

edit

• 削除 (xuēchú)
• 取消 (qǔxiāo)
• 廢止 / 废止 (fèizhǐ)
• 廢除 / 废除 (fèichú)
• 撤廢 / 撤废 (chèfèi)
• 撤銷 / 撤销 (chèxiāo)
• 收回 (shōuhuí)
• 杜絕 / 杜绝 (dùjué)
• 罷黜 / 罢黜 (bàchù) (literary)
• 裁撤 (cáichè)
• 解除 (jiěchú)
• 註銷 / 注销 (zhùxiāo)
• 銷 / 销 (xiāo)
• 除免 (chúmiǎn) (literary)

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “to step back”): 進／进 (jìn)

Compounds

• 不知進退 / 不知进退 (bùzhījìntuì)
• 不識進退 / 不识进退
• 不退
• 以退為進 / 以退为进 (yǐtuìwéijìn)
• 倒退 (dàotuì)
• 功成身退 (gōngchéngshēntuì)
• 功遂身退
• 勇退
• 勇退激流
• 叱退 (chìtuì)
• 吐退
• 告退 (gàotuì)
• 多退少補 / 多退少补
• 屏退 (bǐngtuì)
• 延退
• 引退 (yǐntuì)
• 後退 / 后退 (hòutuì)
• 後退色 / 后退色
• 急流勇退 (jíliúyǒngtuì)
• 恬退
• 打退 (dǎtuì)
• 打退堂鼓 (dǎ tuìtánggǔ)
• 撤退 (chètuì)
• 擊退 / 击退 (jītuì)
• 故退
• 敗退 / 败退 (bàituì)
• 斥退 (chìtuì)
• 旅進旅退 / 旅进旅退
• 早退 (zǎotuì)
• 有進無退 / 有进无退
• 沖退 / 冲退
• 消退 (xiāotuì)
• 海退
• 減退 / 减退 (jiǎntuì)
• 牛餼退敵 / 牛饩退敌
• 留退步
• 病退 (bìngtuì)
• 知難而退 / 知难而退 (zhīnán'értuì)
• 祛退
• 節節敗退 / 节节败退 (jiéjiébàituì)
• 簽退 / 签退
• 素退
• 罷退 / 罢退
• 衰退 (shuāituì)
• 謙退 / 谦退
• 趨前退後 / 趋前退后
• 身退功成
• 車無退表 / 车无退表
• 辭退 / 辞退 (cítuì)
• 退一步 (tuì yī bù)
• 退一步想
• 退件
• 退伙
• 退休 (tuìxiū)
• 退伍 (tuìwǔ)
• 退休金 (tuìxiūjīn)
• 退佃 (tuìdiàn)
• 退位 (tuìwèi)
• 退保 (tuìbǎo)
• 退兵 (tuìbīng)
• 退冰 (tuìbīng)
• 退出 (tuìchū)
• 退前縮後 / 退前缩后
• 退化 (tuìhuà)
• 退化現象 / 退化现象
• 退卻 / 退却 (tuìquè)
• 退回 (tuìhuí)
• 退團 / 退团 (tuìtuán)
• 退坡 (tuìpō)
• 退堂 (tuìtáng)
• 退堂鼓 (tuìtánggǔ)
• 退場 / 退场 (tuìchǎng)
• 退如山移
• 退婚 (tuìhūn)
• 退婚書 / 退婚书
• 退學 / 退学 (tuìxué)
• 退守 (tuìshǒu)
• 退室
• 退居 (tuìjū)
• 退居幕後 / 退居幕后
• 退席 (tuìxí)
• 退庭
• 退役 (tuìyì)
• 退後 / 退后 (tuìhòu)
• 退徙三舍
• 退怯怯
• 退思補過 / 退思补过
• 退息
• 退悔
• 退房 (tuìfáng)
• 退換 / 退换 (tuìhuàn)
• 退故
• 退敵 / 退敌 (tuìdí)
• 退有後言 / 退有后言
• 退款 (tuìkuǎn)
• 退步 (tuìbù)
• 退潮 (tuìcháo)
• 退火 (tuìhuǒ)
• 退熱 / 退热 (tuìrè)
• 退燒 / 退烧 (tuìshāo)
• 退現 / 退现
• 退瓶
• 退省 (tuìxǐng)
• 退票 (tuìpiào)
• 退租
• 退稅 / 退税 (tuìshuì)
• 退稿 (tuìgǎo)
• 退筆 / 退笔
• 退縮 / 退缩 (tuìsuō)
• 退老
• 退職 / 退职 (tuìzhí)
• 退股
• 退色
• 退落
• 退藏於密 / 退藏于密
• 退親 / 退亲 (tuìqīn)
• 退讓 / 退让 (tuìràng)
• 退貨 / 退货 (tuìhuò)
• 退費 / 退费
• 退賠 / 退赔 (tuìpéi)
• 退贓 / 退赃
• 退走 (tuìzǒu)
• 退路 (tuìlù)
• 退身步兒 / 退身步儿
• 退軍 / 退军 (tuìjūn)
• 退送
• 退送紙 / 退送纸
• 退選 / 退选 (tuìxuǎn)
• 退避 (tuìbì)
• 退還 / 退还 (tuìhuán)
• 退避三舍 (tuìbìsānshè)
• 逃避退縮 / 逃避退缩
• 退針 / 退针
• 退錢 / 退钱 (tuìqián)
• 退除役
• 退隱 / 退隐 (tuìyǐn)
• 退食
• 進寸退尺 / 进寸退尺
• 進退 / 进退 (jìntuì)
• 進退中繩 / 进退中绳
• 進退兩難 / 进退两难 (jìntuìliǎngnán)
• 進退失據 / 进退失据 (jìntuìshījù)
• 進退存亡 / 进退存亡
• 進退有常 / 进退有常
• 進退無據 / 进退无据
• 進退無路 / 进退无路
• 進退無門 / 进退无门
• 進退維谷 / 进退维谷 (jìntuìwéigǔ)
• 進退首鼠 / 进退首鼠
• 進銳退速 / 进锐退速
• 遽退
• 隱退 / 隐退 (yǐntuì)
• 革退
• 頤指進退 / 颐指进退
• 黜退 (chùtuì)
• 齋退 / 斋退

Descendants

• → Thai: ถอย (tɔ̌i)

References

• “退”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎, 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–

Japanese

Shinjitai	退
Kyūjitai [1]	退󠄁 退+󠄁? (Adobe-Japan1)
	退󠄃 退+󠄃? (Hanyo-Denshi) (Moji_Joho)
The displayed kanji may be different from the image due to your environment. See here for details.

Kanji

See also:

Category:Japanese terms spelled with 退

退

(Sixth grade kyōiku kanji)

1. retreat, withdraw
2. cause to retreat or withdraw: to drive out

Readings

• Go-on: たい (tai, Jōyō)
• Kan-on: たい (tai, Jōyō)
• Kun: そく (soku, 退く)、そき (soki, 退)、そき (soki, 退き)、しりぞく (shirizoku, 退く, Jōyō)、しりぞける (shirizokeru, 退ける, Jōyō)、どく (doku, 退く)、どかす (dokasu, 退かす)、どける (dokeru, 退ける)、のく (noku, 退く)、のかす (nokasu, 退かす)、のける (nokeru, 退ける)、のけ (noke)、のけ (noke, 退け)、ひく (hiku, 退く)、ひける (hikeru, 退ける)、ひけ (hike, 退)、ひけ (hike, 退け)、しさる (shisaru, 退る)、すさる (susaru, 退る)
• Nanori: たい (tai)、のき (noki)

Compounds

• 退(たい)院(いん) (taīn)
• 退屈(たいくつ) (taikutsu)
• 退却(たいきゃく) (taikyaku)
• 退職(たいしょく) (taishoku)
• 退(たい)治屋(じや) (taijiya): exterminator
• 撃退(げきたい) (gekitai): to repel (by force), to beat back, to get rid of, to force away, to reject forcefully
• 退陣(たいじん) (taijin)
• 退任(たいにん) (tainin)
• 退(たい)避(ひ) (taihi)
• 退色(たいしょく) (taishoku)
• 退勢(たいせい) (taisei)
• 退廃(たいはい) (taihai)
• 隠退(いんたい) (intai)
• 衰退(すいたい) (suitai)

References

1. “退”, in 漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia]‎ (in Japanese), The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, 2015–2025

Korean

Hanja

退 • (toe) (hangeul 퇴, revised toe, McCune–Reischauer t'oe, Yale thoy)

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

Vietnamese

Han character

退: Hán Nôm readings: thoái, thói, thối, thủi, thui, thúi, thụi

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.