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曲径通幽处

曲徑通幽處
qū jìng tōng yōu chù
quotation

Meanings

  1. 1 a winding path leads to a secluded place
  2. 2 the twisting lane reaches a hidden spot
  3. 3 (lit.) the crooked path opens onto a hidden place

Examples

HSK 7-9
园林设计讲究曲径通幽处，越走越有意境。
Yuánlín shèjì jiǎngjiu qūjìngtōngyōuchù, yuè zǒu yuè yǒu yìjìng.
Garden design prizes winding paths to hidden places - each step deepens the mood.
HSK 7-9
做学问也是曲径通幽处，不能急于求成。
Zuò xuéwèn yě shì qūjìngtōngyōuchù, bùnéng jíyúqiúchéng.
Scholarship too is a winding path to a hidden place - you can't rush the arrival.

Tips

history
From Chang Jian's (常建) Tang-dynasty poem 《题破山寺后禅院》 (Inscribed at the Meditation Hall Behind Poshan Temple). Full couplet: 曲径通幽处, 禅房花木深, 'a winding path reaches the hidden place; the meditation hall lies deep among flowers and trees.' One of the most-quoted couplets in Chinese landscape aesthetics, and a design maxim for classical Chinese gardens like Suzhou's 拙政园.
usage
Also routinely contracted to the 4-character 曲径通幽. Applied to gardens, architecture, essays, anything where indirection enriches the destination.

Stroke Order

曲 qǔ
径 jìng
通 tōng
幽 yōu
处 chǔ