衰退
shuāituì · HSK 7
decline
📉 衰 weaken + 退 retreat = a weakening retreat, i.e. decline
衰 carries the sense of weakening or wearing out, and 退 means to retreat or withdraw. Stack them and you get a steady backward slide: economic or physical decline. Note 退 also shows up in 退休 (retire), another backing-away word.
退 — walk radical 辶 + 艮 (stop/halt)
退 combines the walking/movement radical 辶 with 艮, which carries a sense of stopping or turning back. Together they depict the action of moving backward or withdrawing. The original sense of retreating or stepping back has remained stable through history.