躲避

• Pinyin: duǒ bì
• Hanzi breakdown: 躲 = 身 (body) + 朵 (cluster/ear) — tucking the body away; 避 = 辶 (movement) + 辟 (to open/push aside) — to move aside from something

Meaning

To dodge; to avoid; to evade. Deliberately staying away from something or someone to escape confrontation or harm.

躲避 can be physical (ducking from danger, running away) or social and psychological (avoiding a person, issue, or responsibility). It is more active and deliberate than 躲 alone. Contrasts with 面对 (to confront directly). Common in conflict, psychology, and narrative contexts.

Examples

1. 他一直在躲避现实，不愿承认婚姻已经走到了尽头。 He has been avoiding reality, unwilling to admit that his marriage has reached the end of the road.
2. 士兵们机敏地躲避了敌人的炮火，成功撤退到安全区域。 The soldiers nimbly avoided the enemy’s artillery fire and successfully retreated to a safe area.
3. 她意识到继续躲避责任只会让问题积压得更严重，最终决定正面应对。 She realized that continuing to dodge responsibility would only let the problems pile up, so she finally decided to face it head-on.

Usage Guide

Context: psychology, conflict, physical evasion, narrative

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 领导者不能一味躲避矛盾与争议，而应在充分了解各方立场的前提下，做出果断而负责任的决策。(Leaders must not simply evade contradictions and controversy, but should make decisive and responsible decisions on the basis of fully understanding all parties' positions.)
• 当面对亲人的质问时，他选择躲避而非解释，这一态度反而加深了家人对他的误解与不信任。(When faced with questions from family members, he chose to avoid rather than explain, and this attitude only deepened their misunderstanding and distrust of him.)

Don't Say

• 她躲避了考试题目 — 躲避 implies deliberately staying away from a person or situation, not skipping a question; say 跳过了题目 or 没有作答

Origin & History

躲 (to hide) + 避 (to avoid/evade) — two synonymous actions reinforcing each other to emphasise deliberate evasion

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal