(lit.) to sound out the difficulties and retreat to avoid defeat (idiom); (fig.) to back out of an awkward situation; to get out on finding out what it's really like
trad. 知難而退
Also written 知難而退【zhī nán ér tuì】
Characters in this word
4知
Strokes: KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0
to know, to be aware
- Pinyin
- zhī
- Strokes
- 8
- Frequency
- 3344 of 2500
难
Strokes: KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0
difficult (to...), problem, difficulty, difficult, not good
- Pinyin
- nán
- Traditional
- 難
- Strokes
- 10
- Frequency
- 1327 of 2500
而
Strokes: KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0
and, as well as, and so, but (not), yet (not), (indicates causal relation), (indicates change of state), (indicates contrast)
- Pinyin
- ér
- Strokes
- 6
- Frequency
- 131 of 2500
退
Strokes: KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0
to retreat; to withdraw, to reject; to return (sth), to decline
- Pinyin
- tuì
- Strokes
- 9
- Frequency
- 3835 of 2500