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波折 (bō zhé) — twists and turns, setbacks

Definition

Setbacks and complications along the way, often in a process or career. 周折 emphasizes the effort/complications spent resolving something, while 波折 is the rough patches themselves.

noun
twists and turnssetbacks

Examples

  • 波折。
    Tā de zhí yè shēng yá chōng mǎn le bō zhé.
    His career was full of twists and turns.
  • 波折，。
    Suī rán yù dào le hěn duō bō zhé, dàn tā men méi yǒu fàng qì.
    Although they encountered many setbacks, they didn't give up.
  • 波折，。
    Jīng lì le zhè xiē bō zhé, tā biàn de gèng jiā chéng shú le.
    Having experienced these twists and turns, he became more mature.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

波bōwave
折zhéturn

The hanzi "波" and "折" mean wave and turn, so together they suggest twists and turns in events.

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
皮
皮pí波bō
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left side 氵 is water, and the right side 皮 gives the sound.

Open 波 →

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 7-9Abstract Concepts

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