辞 cí — bid farewell; diction; resign; say goodbye; take leave; decline
离别的时候，他向大家辞行。Lí bié de shí hou, tā xiàng dà jiā cí xíng.When leaving, he bid farewell to everyone.
Common words: 辞职 (cí zhí)、辞典 (cí diǎn)、推辞 (tuī cí)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "decline"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "decline", including 辞 (cí), 衰 (shuāi / cuī). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "decline" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 辞 (cí), 衰 (shuāi / cuī) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span cí, shuāi, cuī — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 辞 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 辞 cíbid farewell; diction; resign; say goodbye; take leave; declineUseful words: 辞职, 辞典
- 衰 shuāi / cuīmourning garments; weak; feeble; decline; waneUseful words: 衰老, 衰退
Common words for these 2 "decline" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 辞 (cí) — so "decline" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "decline".
衰 shuāi / cuī — mourning garments; weak; feeble; decline; wane
人老了，身体会渐渐衰老。Rén lǎo le, shēn tǐ huì jiàn jiàn shuāi lǎo.As people age, their bodies gradually grow old.
Common words: 衰老 (shuāi lǎo)、衰退 (shuāi tuì)、衰竭 (shuāi jié)
All 2 characters
Open 辞、衰 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.