退缩 tuìsuō to shrink back
to shrink back; to cower
How to remember 退缩: 退 to retreat + 缩 to withdraw = to shrink back.
Characters
How it is used
- To flinch and pull back from difficulty or danger - 遇到困难不能退缩 (yùdào kùnnan bù néng tuìsuō) don't shrink back when you hit trouble.
- Carries a note of cowardice or losing nerve, unlike neutral 后退 (hòutuì, step backward physically). 退缩 is about resolve, not literal movement.
- Common in pep-talk / moral framing: 面对压力，他从不退缩 (miànduì yālì, tā cóng bú tuìsuō) he never backs down under pressure.