倒叙 (dào xù) — (noun) flashback (narrative technique); (verb) to narrate in flashback

Definition

A narrative technique of starting from a later point in the story and then going back to earlier events. As a verb, it means to use this flashback structure in telling a story.

noun
flashback (narrative technique)
verb
to narrate in flashback

Examples

  • 倒叙，。
    Zhè bù diàn yǐng yòng le dào xù de shǒu fǎ, kāi tóu jiù shì jié jú.
    This film uses a flashback technique — the beginning is the ending.
  • 倒叙，。
    Xiǎo shuō cóng zhōng jiān kāi shǐ dào xù, màn màn jiǎng huí guò qù.
    The novel starts in the middle with a flashback and slowly narrates back to the past.
  • 倒叙。
    Dǎo yǎn yòng dào xù ràng guān zhòng gèng lǐ jiě jué sè de dòng jī.
    The director uses flashbacks to help the audience better understand the characters' motivations.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

倒dǎoreverse
叙xùnarrate

“倒” gives reverse and “叙” gives narrate, so the whole means narration in reverse order.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rén
Sound part声符shēngfú
到
到dào倒dào
Same sound today

倒 combines 亻 (person) with 到, which gives the sound.

Open 倒 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 敘; 叙 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
攵Written in full as攴pū
Sound part声符shēngfú
余
余yú敘xù
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 敘 puts 余 on the left, giving the sound yú, and 攵 on the right as the meaningful part; the simplified 叙 is a shorthand.

Open 叙 →

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