- 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
Characters
- 知 (知): to know; to be aware
- 难 (難): difficult (to...); problem; difficulty; difficult; not good
- 而 (而): and; as well as; and so; but (not); yet (not); (indicates causal relation); (indicates change of state); (indicates contrast)
- 退 (退): to retreat; to withdraw; to reject; to return (sth); to decline
Resources
- Wiktionary: 知难而退
- MDBG: 知难而退
- Examples with 知难而退 on Tatoeba
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