Taxonomy of meanings for 退:　　

  • 退 tuì (OC: thuubs MC: tʰuoi) 他內切 去 廣韻：【郤也説文作𢓴他内切五 】
    • WITHDRAW
      • vi[0]imperativego away! withdraw!
      • vt[oN]move backward, (typically decide to) withdraw (usually to the point where one came from); leave, leave the room; withdraw from court; imp: out of my sight!
      • viactgo away; withdraw
      • vifigurativeresign; withraw from office; retreat; also: retreat from life
      • vimathematical termCHEMLA 2003:
      • vipsychbe retiring by nature, be reticent by nature
      • vtoNwithdraw from; withdraw before (the enemy)
      • vt+Nwithdraw by the distance N
      • vtoNcausativebet N to retire
      • vt(oN)withdraw from the contextually determinate thing (e.g. public life)
      • viactbe withdrawn>reticent in words and actionCH
      • vtoNwithdraw to behind NCH
      • withdraw from so as to be free from> AVOID
        • vtoNavoid (military service)
        • retire to moral self-assessment> REPENT
        • from office> RETIRE
          • vadVwhen retired, in retirementCH
          • from a higher position to a lower one> DEMOTE
            • vtoNcausativeregard as secondary; downgrade, demote; work against, discourage; lay little stress on
            • vtoNpassiveget demoted
            • vt[oN]demote othersLZ
          • feature: withdrawn and avoiding dangers> PEACEFUL
            • viactwithdraw from busy life
            • withdraw so as not to displace oneself permanently> REMAIN
              • viremain in a demoted/low position; fail to obtain high position, be held back (in a low position)
              • having remained for a long time> OLD
          • politely giving precedence to others> YIELD
            • so as not aim for speed in proceeding> SLOW
              • so as to leave the place where one is> LEAVE
                • viactleave the scene
                • vtoNleave the place N
                • abstract: withdraw from agreements etc> OFFEND
                  • so as to go to where one came from> RETURN
                    • so as to be no more in a place> DISAPPEAR
                        • causative> REMOVE
                          • vtoNcausativecause to recede, move back; cause to disappear

                  Additional information about 退

                  說文解字:

                    Criteria
                  • RISE

                    1. The most current general word for rising or raising oneself up, or rising to an upright position of any kind is qǐ 起 (ant. jiàng 降 "go down").

                    2. Shēng 升 (ant. xià 下 "go down") refers specifically to the rising of something to a higher level, and these levels can be but do not have to be the ranks of a hierarchy.

                    3. Jìn 進 (ant. tuì 退 "be demoted") refers specifically to the rising in the ranks of a hierarchy.

                    4. Jìn 晉 is a very formal term referring to the rising of something in the ranks of a hierarchy.

                  • AVOID

                    [[BASIC/DERIVED]]

                    [ABSTRACT/CONCRETE]

                    [DELIBERATE/INVOLUNTARY]

                    [GENERAL/SPECIFIC]

                    [GRAMMATICALISED/LEXICAL]

                    [HIGH-DEGREE/LOW-DEGREE]

                    1. The general word is miǎn 免 (ant. zāo 遭 "encounter"), and this refers to any voluntary or involuntary process leading to one's escape from what otherwise might occur, especially one's being spared a negative experience.

                    [CONCRETE], [GENERAL]

                    2. Bì 避 (ant. mào 冒 "expose oneself to"), unlike miǎn 免, is always deliberate and describes a strategy of action which successfully avoids an undesirable impending danger.

                    [DELIBERATE]

                    3. Yuàn 遠 (ant. jìn 近 "move close to") is a specific strategy of avoidance which is well within one's control and consists in keeping what is undesirable at a long distance from one.

                    [DELIBERATE], [HIGH-DEGREE]

                    4. Lí 離 differs from yuàn 遠 in the fact that no great distance, concrete or abstract, is implied in the word.

                    [DELIBERATE]; [[DERIVED]]

                    5. Chú 除 refers to the avoidance or removal of something that is perceived as posing a powerful threat. See REMOVE

                    [CAUSATIVE], [DELIBERATE]; [[DERIVED]]

                    6. Qù 去 (ant. lí 罹 "get exposed to") is avoidance through getting rid of what is threatening.

                    [CAUSATIVE], [DELIBERATE]; [[DERIVED]]

                    7. Jué 絕 refers to avoidance through getting rid completely and definitively of what is threatening.

                    [ABSTRACT], [CAUSATIVE], [DELIBERATE], [HIGH-DEGREE]

                    8. Tuì 退 refers to avoidance by withdrawing from what exposes one to what is threatening.

                    [DELIBERATE], [SPECIFIC]

                    9. Wù 勿 is a negation referring to an instruction to avoid doing something, and the word often has an object pronoun understood. See NOT.

                    [GRAMMATICALISED]

                  • FIGHT

                    1. The current general word for any form of conflict or competition is zhēng 爭 (ant. ràng 讓 "give polite precedence to"). However, the word specifically focusses on competition rather than physical violence.

                    2. Dòu 鬥, ōu 毆 and the rarer bó 搏 (ant. què 卻 "withdraw from conflict") refer to physical interpersonal violence and struggle.

                    3. Jìng 競 (ant. tuì 退 "withdraw from conflict") refers to intense competiton.

                    4. Shì fēi 是非 refers to a primarily non-physical verbal conflict, but in extended usage it can refer to any political dissension or conflict.

                    5. Fèn 奮 refers to a fierce physical strugge, often for a higher aim.

                    6. Zhàn 戰 (ant. hé 和 "make peace; hold the peace") normally refers to armed conflict (see BATTLE) but the word can occasionally refer to an inner struggle in one's chest: zwei Seelen wohnen, ach, in meiner Brust.

                    NB: Dāng 當 can refer to facing an opponent in battle, and the word is marginal in this group.

                  • DEMOTE

                    1. The standard technical word for demoting someone officially is chù 黜／絀.

                    2. Tuì 退 is a slightly polite periphrastic way of referring to demotion.

                    3. Qiān 遷 refers to transferral, but is often used euphemistically for demotion.

                  • TURN BACK

                    The standard word for changing direction and turning to one side is huán 還. 馬還 "the horses turn round" contrasts with tuì 退 "withdraw" in that there is no focus on the turning round in tui 退, and no ultimate aim of the withdrawal is envisaged.

                    [THIS NEEDS CAREFUL ANALYSIS AND REVISION]

                  • PROMOTE

                    1. The specific general term for bureaucratic promotion is the not very common zhuó 擢 (ant. chù 黜 "demote").

                    2. The most current general-use words for raising the status of someone are jǔ 舉 (ant. jiàng 降 "lower the rank of") and jìn 進 (ant. tuì 退 "demote").

                    3. Bá 拔 (ant. miǎn 免 "dismiss without necessarily removing from the hierarchy altogether") and qiān 遷 (ant. chū 出 "remove and transfer to a lower position") are standard bureaucratic terms for promotion in office.

                    4. Chāo 超 refers specifically to raising someone by more than one level at the time, and this bureaucratic term became current in Han times.

                  • STRETCH OUT

                    1. The current general word for stretching things so as to make them reach out longer is shēn 伸 (ant. suō 縮 "pull in").

                    2. Yán 延 (ant. tuì 退 "retract" and perhaps shōu 收 "contract") refers to the stretching out of something in one distinct direction.

                    3. Zhǎn 展 (ant. juǎn 卷 "roll up, fold up") specifically refers to the stretching out of things in several directions at the same time.

                    4. Shū 舒 (ant. juǎn 卷 "roll up, fold up") is rather marginal in this group and refers specifically to reaching or spreading out in several directions without necessarily remaining continuous in the process.

                    5. Shū 攄 (ant. xì 翕 refers to the (often abstract) expansion into a new area.

                  • WITHDRAW

                    1. The current general word for withdrawing from somewhere is tuì 退 (ant. jìn 進 "move forwards"), and the withdrawal can be over a short or a long distance, often with the purpose of returning to one's point of departure.

                    2. Què 卻 (ant. qián 前 "move forward") refers to backing off, often under pressure, and typically for a shorter distance, and usually the immediate purpose of the withdrawal is not that of returning to one's point of departure but to get out of a confrontation.

                    3. Bà 罷 (ant. gōng 攻 "move forward to attack") refers to an army withdrawing its military forces.

                    4. Bì 避 (ant. duì 對 "face up to") refers to a polite withdrawal from an honoured or regular position, typical a position facing someone in authority.

                    5. Yin3 引 refers to the act of preparing and then commencing a formal military withdrawal.

                    Jī jīn 擊金 and míng jīn 鳴金 "beating the bells for military withdrawal" (ant. jī gǔ 擊鼓 "beat the drums for a military attack") refers to giving a signal for withdrawal of troops.

                  • ADVANCE

                    [GENERAL/SPECIFIC]

                    1. The standard general word for physically going or moving forward is jìn 進 (ant. tuì 退 "withdraw backwards").

                    [GENERAL]

                    2. Qián 前 (ant. hòu 後 "move backwards") refers to the movement forward and into the position in front of someone.

                    [SPECIFIC]

                    Word relations
                  • Ant: (WITHDRAW)動/ACT Zuò 作 (ant. xí 息 "fail to take the initiative, fail to become active") refers to the taking of an initiative for an action which would not have occurred without such a deliberate initiative, and the word is naturally associated with the notion of creativity. SPONTANEOUS, OCCASIONAL, PERFECTIVE
                  • Ant: (WITHDRAW)進/ADVANCE The standard general word for physically going or moving forward is jìn 進 (ant. tuì 退 "withdraw backwards"). >>GENERAL
                  • Assoc: (PEACEFUL)靜/PEACEFUL Jìng 靜 (ant. zào 躁 "flurried), is a state of mind in which one refuses to be rushed into any action and is fully at ease.