节节败退

節節敗退

jiéjiébàituì

idiom

Meanings

1 to retreat again and again
2 to suffer defeat after defeat

Characters

joint, stage (reduplicated)

Examples

敌军节节败退，我方乘胜追击。

Díjūn jiéjié bàituì, wǒ fāng chéngshèng zhuījī.

The enemy kept retreating, and our side pressed the advantage.

在市场竞争中，老品牌节节败退。

Zài shìchǎng jìngzhēng zhōng, lǎo pǐnpái jiéjié bàituì.

In market competition, the old brands have been steadily losing ground.

Tips

memory

节 here means 'joint/segment' — picture retreating position by position, stage by stage, never holding a line.

Stroke Order

节 jié

败 bài

退 tuì