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退避三舍

Mandarin · pinyin tuì bì sān shè

(lit.) to retreat ninety li (idiom)
(fig.) to shun; to assiduously avoid

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Characters in this entry

退: tuì · step back, retreat, withdraw
避: bì · avoid; turn aside; escape; hide
三: sān · three
舍: shě · shè · house, dwelling; dwell, reside

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

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Mandarin tones

4–4–1–4 · tui4 bi4 san1 she4

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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 bei6 saam1 se3

Cantonese word readings for 退避三舍. 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 give way to avoid a conflict in the face of superior strength (to avoid heavy losses)

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

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