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節節敗退

简节节败退 · 繁節節敗退

Mandarin · pinyin jié jié bài tuì

to retreat again and again in defeat
to suffer defeat after defeat

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Characters in this entry

節: Look up this written character
敗: Look up this written character
退: tuì · step back, retreat, withdraw
节: jié · knot, node, joint; section
败: bài · be defeated, decline, fail

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

2–2–4–4 · jie2 jie2 bai4 tui4

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

節節敗退 · find source passages ↗ · 节节败退 · find source passages ↗

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(of an army) to lose battles one after another and retreat in defeat
(figuratively) to lose (competitions) successively

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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