退而求其次
tuì ér qiú qí cì
Pinyin

Definition

退而求其次
 - 
tuì ér qiú qí cì
  1. to settle for second best
  2. the next best thing

Character Decomposition

Related Words (20)

其
qí
  1. 1 his
  2. 2 her
  3. 3 its
  4. 4 their
  5. 5 that
  6. 6 such
  7. 7 it (refers to sth preceding it)
其实
qí shí
  1. 1 actually
  2. 2 in fact
  3. 3 really
次
cì
  1. 1 next in sequence
  2. 2 second
  3. 3 the second (day, time etc)
  4. 4 secondary
  5. 5 vice-
  6. 6 sub-
  7. 7 infra-
  8. 8 inferior quality
  9. 9 substandard
  10. 10 order
  11. 11 sequence
  12. 12 hypo- (chemistry)
  13. 13 classifier for enumerated events: time
求
qiú
  1. 1 to seek
  2. 2 to look for
  3. 3 to request
  4. 4 to demand
  5. 5 to beseech
而
ér
  1. 1 and
  2. 2 as well as
  3. 3 and so
  4. 4 but (not)
  5. 5 yet (not)
  6. 6 (indicates causal relation)
  7. 7 (indicates change of state)
  8. 8 (indicates contrast)
一次性
yī cì xìng
  1. 1 one-off (offer)
  2. 2 one-time
  3. 3 single-use
  4. 4 disposable (goods)
人次
rén cì
  1. 1 person-times
  2. 2 visits
  3. 3 classifier for number of people participating
今次
jīn cì
  1. 1 this
  2. 2 the present (meeting etc)
  3. 3 this time
  4. 4 this once
其中
qí zhōng
  1. 1 among
  2. 2 in
  3. 3 included among these
其他
qí tā
  1. 1 other
  2. 2 (sth or sb) else
  3. 3 the rest
其它
qí tā
  1. 1 other
  2. 2 the others
  3. 3 else
  4. 4 other than it
  5. 5 in addition to the thing mentioned above
其次
qí cì
  1. 1 next
  2. 2 secondly
其余
qí yú
  1. 1 the rest
  2. 2 the others
  3. 3 remaining
  4. 4 remainder
  5. 5 apart from them
再次
zài cì
  1. 1 one more time
  2. 2 again
  3. 3 one more
  4. 4 once again
反而
fǎn ér
  1. 1 instead
  2. 2 on the contrary
  3. 3 contrary (to expectations)
因而
yīn ér
  1. 1 therefore
  2. 2 as a result
  3. 3 thus
  4. 4 and as a result, ...
奢求
shē qiú
  1. 1 to make extravagant demands
  2. 2 an unreasonable request
寻求
xún qiú
  1. 1 to seek
  2. 2 to look for
尤其
yóu qí
  1. 1 especially
  2. 2 particularly
尤其是
yóu qí shì
  1. 1 especially
  2. 2 most of all
  3. 3 above all
  4. 4 in particular

Idioms (20)

一哄而散
yī hōng ér sàn
  1. 1 to disperse in confusion (idiom)
一拥而入
yī yōng ér rù
  1. 1 to swarm in (of people etc) (idiom)
一望而知
yī wàng ér zhī
  1. 1 to be evident at a glance (idiom)
一概而论
yī gài ér lùn
  1. 1 to lump different matters together (idiom)
一炮而红
yī pào ér hóng
  1. 1 to win instant success (idiom)
  2. 2 to become an instant hit
一蹴而就
yī cù ér jiù
  1. 1 to get there in one step (idiom); easily done
  2. 2 success at a stroke
  3. 3 to get results overnight
一蹴而得
yī cù ér dé
  1. 1 to get there in one step (idiom); easily done
  2. 2 success at a stroke
  3. 3 to get results overnight
一饮而尽
yī yǐn ér jìn
  1. 1 to drain the cup in one gulp (idiom)
三十而立
sān shí ér lì
  1. 1 thirty years old and therefore independent (idiom, from Confucius)
三思而后行
sān sī ér hòu xíng
  1. 1 think again and again before acting (idiom); consider carefully in advance
三思而行
sān sī ér xíng
  1. 1 think three times then go (idiom); don't act before you've thought it through carefully
三番五次
sān fān wǔ cì
  1. 1 over and over again (idiom)
三缄其口
sān jiān qí kǒu
  1. 1 (idiom) reluctant to speak about it
  2. 2 tight-lipped
上一次当，学一次乖
shàng yī cì dàng , xué yī cì guāi
  1. 1 to take sth as a lesson for next time (idiom)
  2. 2 once bitten, twice shy
上下其手
shàng xià qí shǒu
  1. 1 to raise and lower one's hand (idiom); to signal as conspiratorial hint
  2. 2 fig. conspiring to defraud
不胜其苦
bù shèng qí kǔ
  1. 1 unable to bear the pain (idiom)
不劳而获
bù láo ér huò
  1. 1 to reap without sowing (idiom)
不厌其烦
bù yàn qí fán
  1. 1 not to mind taking all the trouble (idiom)
  2. 2 to take great pains
  3. 3 to be very patient
不可同日而语
bù kě tóng rì ér yǔ
  1. 1 lit. mustn't speak of two things on the same day (idiom); not to be mentioned in the same breath
  2. 2 incomparable
不安其室
bù ān qí shì
  1. 1 to be discontented with one's home
  2. 2 to have adulterous relations after marriage (of women) (idiom)

Sample Sentences