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退而求其次

Mandarin · pinyin tuì ér qiú qí cì

to settle for second best
the next best thing

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Characters in this entry

退: tuì · step back, retreat, withdraw
而: ér · and; and then; and yet; but; Kangxi radical 126
求: qiú · seek; demand, request; beseech
其: qí · his, her, its, their; that
次: cì · order, sequence; next

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

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Mandarin tones

4–2–2–2–4 · tui4 er2 qiu2 qi2 ci4

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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.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

teoi3 ji4 kau4 kei4 ci3

Cantonese word readings for 退而求其次. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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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

(idiomatic) to settle for the second best

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

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