衰退 (shuāituì) — to decline; recession

衰退 (shuāituì)

衰退 describes a gradual weakening or deterioration of something -- most often an economy, physical capacity, or social system -- and is a key term in economic and health-related discourse.

Meanings

1. [verb] to decline; to deteriorate; to weaken
2. [noun] recession; decline; deterioration

Example Sentences

全球经济正面临衰退的风险。 Quánqiú jīngjì zhèng miànlín shuāituì de fēngxiǎn. The global economy is facing the risk of recession.

老年人的记忆力会随年龄增长而衰退。 Lǎonián rén de jìyìlì huì suí niánlíng zēngzhǎng ér shuāituì. Memory declines with age in elderly people.

政府出台政策以防止经济衰退。 Zhèngfǔ chūtái zhèngcè yǐ fángzhǐ jīngjì shuāituì. The government introduced policies to prevent an economic recession.

这个行业经历了十年的持续衰退。 Zhège hángyè jīnglì le shí nián de chíxù shuāituì. This industry experienced a decade of continuous decline.

运动可以延缓肌肉衰退的速度。 Yùndòng kěyǐ yánchuǎn jīròu shuāituì de sùdù. Exercise can slow down the rate of muscle deterioration.

经济衰退导致大量工人失业。 Jīngjì shuāituì dǎozhì dàliàng gōngrén shīyè. The economic recession caused massive unemployment.

Collocations

Usage Notes

衰退 implies a gradual, ongoing process rather than a sudden collapse (崩溃, bēngkuì). It is common in economic reporting, medical contexts, and social commentary. In economic contexts it is often equivalent to the English term "recession," while in biological or cognitive contexts it maps more to "decline" or "deterioration."

Contrast with 下降 (xiàjiàng), which simply means to go down (numbers, figures), whereas 衰退 implies a broader systemic weakening.

Memory Hook

衰 (to wane/weaken) + 退 (to retreat): something waning and retreating at the same time -- a decline in full motion.