辞退
じたい · jitai · JLPT N3 · noun
refusal
✋ 辞退 = decline (辞) + withdraw (退): politely bow out of an offer
辞 means to decline or take your leave, as in 辞職 (resigning a job). 退 means to step back or retreat, as in 退出 (exit). Together they mean formally turning down an offer, invitation or nomination and stepping aside.
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.