退而求其次
tuì'ér​qiú​qí​cì

to settle for second best

  • created sense approved 退而求其次 · tuì'ér​qiú​qí​cì · to settle for second best — "Initial import from upstream dictionary"

    退而求其次

    tuì'ér​qiú​qí​cì

    to settle for second best

    To settle for the next best thing or seek a scaled-down objective when one's primary goal cannot be achieved.

    退 (literal) → 退 · tuì · to retreat 而 (literal) → 而 · ér · [adverbial linker] 求 (literal) → 求 · qiú · to seek 其次 (literal) → 其次 · qí​cì · secondary

    Changed: simplified, traditional, gloss, definition, pinyin, variant pinyin, variants, separable parts, decomposition

    created sense