辞退
cí tuì · HSK 7
to fire
👋 cí tuì = words + retreat — words that push you back out the door
辞 means words or to decline, 退 means to retreat or withdraw. When the boss uses words to make you retreat from your position, you get fired. The compound literally reads decline-retreat.
辞 — 舌 (tongue) + 辛 (bitter/blade)
Originally written 辭, depicting hands sorting tangled threads beside 辛 (a knife or judgment), meaning to settle disputes with words. The modern simplified form replaces the left side with 舌 (tongue), reinforcing the speech sense. Meanings extended from 'legal statement' to 'words, phrases, to take leave.'
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.