the present invention is related to a retardation device for a liquid crystal display and comprises : an upper retardation device , which has a plurality of retardation layers ; a lower retardation device , which has a plurality of retardation layers as well ; a lc cell layer , which is between the upper retardation device and the lower retardation device . the present invention adopts a set of retardation plates organized by the upper retardation device and the lower retardation device to apply on a mva - lcd with features of high contrast and wide view angles to promote the contrast and the view angle .