后退 (hòu tuì) — how to say "to retreat" in Chinese

后退

To retreat, to step back

verb

Character composition

后

behind, after

退

to retreat, to withdraw

Radicals / Keys

口

Mouth

#30 · kǒu · 3 strokes

辵

Walk

#162 · chuò · 7 strokes

Collocations

慢慢后退

màn màn hòu tuì

slowly retreat

后退几步

hòu tuì jǐ bù

step back a few steps

后退一步

hòu tuì yī bù

step back one step

Examples

看到危险,他立刻后退了几步。

Seeing danger, he immediately retreated a few steps.

看到危险,他马上后退了几步。

Seeing danger, he immediately stepped back a few steps.

Writing

Try remembering 后退

Three short exercises on meaning and pronunciation. Free, no sign-up needed.

Frequently asked questions

Meaning of retreat in Chinese

"to retreat" in Chinese is 后退 (hòu tuì).

What does 后退 mean in English?

后退 (hòu tuì) means "To retreat, to step back".

How is 后退 pronounced?

It is pronounced hòu tuì (written as hou tui, houtui). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.

How do you write "to retreat" in Chinese characters?

It is written 后退: 后 has 6 strokes, 退 has 9 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order of each character and lets you trace it.

What HSK 3.0 level is 后退?

后退 is on the HSK 3.0 level 6 word list. It is not part of the six-level HSK 2.0 lists.

Tomyo

Learn Chinese words with spaced repetition

Add 后退 to your vocabulary and remember it with smart reviews, audio and examples.

Download the app

More HSK 3.0 level 6 words