退
to retreat; to return (something); to refund
tuì
What does 退 mean?
退 (tuì) covers a family of meanings English splits across several verbs: 'to retreat,' 'to step back,' 'to return (an item to a store),' 'to get a refund,' 'to withdraw from (a group/event),' and 'to fade.' The common thread is reversing forward motion or undoing a commitment. In daily life learners meet it most as 退货 (return goods) and 退钱 (refund money) — what you do after buying something that doesn't fit.
The character also lives inside many HSK 3-4 compounds: 退休 (retire), 退步 (regress), 退后 (step back). Direction-of-motion compounds with 退 are very productive: 后退 (back up), 撤退 (retreat militarily). One trap: 退 alone is rarely used as a standalone verb in spoken Chinese — pair it with another character or with an object.
Character breakdown
to retreat; to return; to withdraw
Memory hook: 退 contains 艮 (gèn, 'limit/stop') plus the walking radical 辶 — literally 'walking back to a limit,' i.e. retreating.
Example sentences
这件衣服太大了，我想退一下。
Zhè jiàn yīfu tài dà le, wǒ xiǎng tuì yíxià.
This shirt is too big; I'd like to return it.
spoken
你可以退钱吗？
Nǐ kěyǐ tuì qián ma?
Can you give me a refund?
spoken
请大家退后一点，谢谢。
Qǐng dàjiā tuìhòu yìdiǎn, xièxie.
Please step back a bit, everyone — thank you.
polite, public-facing
我爸爸明年就退休了。
Wǒ bàba míngnián jiù tuìxiū le.
My dad is going to retire next year.
neutral
Common phrases with 退
Synonyms
还 means 'to return (something you borrowed),' typically to a person. 退 is closer to 'to return (something you bought) to a store / institution' for a refund or exchange. 还书 = return a library book; 退货 = return a purchase.
撤 is more formal / military ('withdraw, retract'). 退 is the everyday verb. A general 撤兵 (withdraws troops); a customer 退货 (returns goods).