曲折

qūzhé

adjective HSK 7 #15,857

Meanings

1 winding; tortuous
2 complicated; full of twists and turns

Characters

to fold; to turn

Literally 'curves and folds' — describes both physical winding paths and figurative complications in a story or process.

Examples

这条山路非常曲折。

Zhè tiáo shānlù fēicháng qūzhé.

This mountain road is very winding.

他的人生经历十分曲折。

Tā de rénshēng jīnglì shífēn qūzhé.

His life experience has been full of twists and turns.

Tips

usage

曲折 is used equally for physical paths (曲折的小路) and life stories (曲折的经历). In literary contexts, a 曲折 plot is actually a compliment — it means the story is engaging with unexpected turns.

Stroke Order

曲 qǔ

折 zhé