曲折

• Pinyin: qū zhé
• Hanzi breakdown: 曲 = 曰 + 一 (bent); 折 = 扌+ 斤 (bend/break/turn — hand using an axe to break)

Meaning

Winding; tortuous; meandering. Figuratively: complicated, full of twists and turns, not straightforward.

Describes both physical paths and life circumstances or narrative plots. 命运曲折 (a tortuous fate), 情节曲折 (a plot full of twists) are common collocations. Often conveys hardship overcome.

Examples

1. 这部小说情节曲折，人物命运跌宕起伏，令读者欲罢不能。 The novel’s plot is full of twists and turns, with the characters’ fates rising and falling, making it impossible to put down.
2. 山间小路曲折蜿蜒，穿越茂密的丛林通向山顶的庙宇。 The mountain path winds and twists through dense forest up to the temple at the summit.
3. 她的创业历程极为曲折，历经数次失败后终于走向成功。 Her entrepreneurial journey was anything but smooth; after several failures, she finally found success.

Usage Guide

Context: narrative, biography, geography, diplomacy

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 这段外交谈判历经曲折，历时三年方才达成最终协议。(This diplomatic negotiation was full of twists and turns, taking three years before a final agreement was reached.)
• 他的人生经历极为曲折，童年颠沛流离，青年时期又饱经战乱之苦。(His life experience is extremely tortuous — a displaced childhood followed by years of hardship during wartime in his youth.)

Don't Say

• 这道数学题非常曲折 — use 复杂 or 绕弯 for a convoluted problem; 曲折 describes narrative, physical paths, or life circumstances, not abstract logical complexity

Origin & History

曲 (bent) + 折 (fold/turn) — full of bends and turns

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal