To retreat ninety lǐ (里) (See notes)
To deliberately avoid or retreat from a situation or person
Neutral
见有警察来，他立即退避三舍 | Jiàn yǒu jǐngchá lái, tā lìjí tuìbìsānshè
When he saw that police were heading over, he immediately began to evade them
[Source]
虽然人们都对他退避三舍，但是狗却乐于和他结伴 | Suīrán rénmen dōu duì tā tuìbìsānshè, dànshì gǒu què lèyú hé tā jiébàn
People always avoided him, but dogs were always happy to be by his side
[Source]
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A 舍 (shè) was an ancient unit of distance that was equal to thirty 里 (lǐ), or about fifteen kilometers (about nine miles)
《春秋左传》(Chūn Qiū Zuò Zhuàn), a famous work that discusses political and military affairs during the Spring and Autumn Period (770 - 476 BC). It was written by the famous blind historian 左丘明 (Zuò Qiū Míng) and is also known as 《左传》(Zuò Zhuàn)
During the Spring and Autumn Period (770 - 476 BC), false rumors reached the ears of the king of the state of Jìn (晋), and he responded by killing the crown prince and sending people to capture another one of his sons, the prince 重耳 (Chóng Ěr). When word of this reached 重耳, he fled into exile, and for over ten years he lived in and traveled among various other kingdoms.
At one point, he arrived at the kingdom of Chǔ (楚), where the king received him and treated him as an honored guest. After he'd spent some time there, the Chǔ king one night asked him how he would repay him if he ever made it back to the state of Jìn and became king.
重耳 replied, "Your Majesty has everything -- beautiful women, precious jewels and silk, elephant tusks, and more. What does the kingdom of Jìn have that could repay you?"
The king of Chǔ wasn't content with this response.
"You're too modest," he said. "You still plan to demonstrate gratitude in some way, don't you?"
At this, 重耳 replied that if he made it back to his home and became the king, he would be willing to maintain good relations with Chǔ. In fact, he even went one step further, declaring that if their kingdoms' troops ever came across one another battlefield, he would order his soldiers to retreat thirty 舍 (shè) and only engage in battle if the Chǔ kept pursuing.
Four years later, 重耳 managed to return to Jìn and ascend to the throne, and soon enough, Jìn and Chǔ troops met on the battlefield. True to his word, 重耳 ordered his men to retreat three 舍. However, the Chǔ didn't seem to be interested in peace -- when they saw their enemy retreat in apparent fear, they gave chase. The Jìn then used the Chǔ overconfidence to their advantage and launched a massive attack, and they achieved a resounding victory.
重耳 -- posthumously referred to as 晋文公 (Jìn Wén Gōng) -- later became one of the most important and powerful political figures in the Spring and Autumn Period.