周折

zhōuzhé

noun #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

经过一番周折，他终于拿到了签证。

Jīngguò yī fān zhōuzhé, tā zhōngyú ná dào le qiānzhèng.

After much difficulty, he finally got the visa.

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.

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.

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