周折

zhōuzhé

noun HSK 7-9 #20,363

Meanings

1 twists and turns
2 complications
3 roundabout effort
4 difficulties

Characters

around; circumference; a complete circuit

to bend; to turn back; setback

Examples

HSK 5

她找工作的过程充满了周折。

Tā zhǎo gōngzuò de guòchéng chōngmǎn le zhōuzhé.

Her job search was full of twists and turns.

HSK 6

经过一番周折，他终于拿到了签证。

Jīngguò yìfān zhōuzhé, tā zhōngyú nádào le qiānzhèng.

After much difficulty, he finally got the visa.

HSK 7-9

这件事颇费周折，但结果还是好的。

Zhè jiàn shì pō fèi zhōuzhé, dàn jiéguǒ háishi hǎo de.

This matter involved quite a few complications, but the outcome was still good.

Tips

usage

周折 often appears in the pattern 费周折 (to go through a lot of trouble) or 经过周折 (to go through complications). It is neutral to mildly negative, describing a bumpy path rather than outright failure.

Stroke Order

周 zhōu

折 zhé