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曲折 (qū zhé) — winding, twisting (of roads, paths); (fig.) complicated, full of twists and turns (of experiences, plots)

Definition

曲折 covers both a physical path that winds and a story/life full of twists and turns. For a winding road, prefer 弯曲; for just 'complicated,' use 复杂 — 曲折 adds the sense of narrative ups and downs.

adjective
windingtwisting (of roads, paths)(fig.) complicatedfull of twists and turns (of experiences, plots)

Examples

  • 曲折，。
    Zhè tiáo xiǎo lù hěn qū zhé, kāi chē yào xiǎo xīn.
    This path is very winding; be careful when driving.
  • 曲折，。
    Tā de rén shēng jīng lì shí fēn qū zhé, chōng mǎn le tiǎo zhàn.
    His life experiences are full of twists and turns, filled with challenges.
  • 曲折，。
    Diàn yǐng de qíng jié fēi cháng qū zhé, ràng rén cāi bú dào jié jú.
    The movie's plot is very intricate, making it impossible to guess the ending.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

曲qǔbent
折zhébend

“曲” and “折” both refer to bends, so together they describe something winding or full of twists.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

曲 is drawn as a bent object, matching the meaning 'bend'.

Open 曲 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 屮𣏄𣏄a tree {{zh-m|*木}} cut in half
  • 斤斤jīnaxe

The shape originally showed an axe (斤) cutting a tree in half; in 折 the left part is now written as a hand.

Open 折 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Abstract ConceptsShapes

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