Definitions

tuì to pluck poultry; to skin meat

Etymology

To prepare 退 to cook 退 also provides the pronunciation

About

(tuì) is a phono-semantic compound combining (huǒ) 'fire' and 退 (tuì) 'retreat, remove'. The fire radical signals the application of heat, while 退 supplies the sound and hints at removal. The character denotes scalding slaughtered poultry or pigs in boiling water to loosen feathers or hair, making them easy to strip away. The structure thus reflects the process: heat () is used to effect removal (退).