曲折
qūzhé · HSK 7
tortuous
🛤️ 曲 bent + 折 fold = a path that bends and folds back, i.e. winding and complicated
曲 means crooked or bent (as in a curve), and 折 means to fold or turn back. Stacked together they describe a route or story full of bends and turns, hence tortuous, winding, or complicated.
曲 — pictograph of a bent carpenter's tool or curved object
曲 is a pictograph showing a bent or curved shape, originally depicting a carpenter's measuring tool or a curved frame. From this concrete image of bending came the abstract senses of 'crooked,' 'wrong,' and 'tune/melody' (since songs follow winding contours). The reading qū carries the bending senses, while qǔ means 'song.'
折 — hand 扌 + axe 斤
Originally written as 折 with a hand (扌) breaking or chopping something with an axe (斤), depicting the act of snapping or cutting in two. The core meaning 'to break, snap, fold' extends metaphorically to 'bend,' 'turn back,' and 'discount' (as in reducing a price by breaking off part).